FDA approves over the counter sale of naloxone to reverse drug overdoses

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of naloxone, a nasal spray known as Narcan, without a prescription as an emergency treatment to reverse drug overdoses.

Announcing the decision on 29 March, the FDA said in a statement, “Today’s action paves the way for the life saving medication to be sold directly to consumers in places like drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, and gas stations, as well as online.”1

In the 12 months to October 2022, more than 101 750 people died of a drug overdose in the US, primarily because of synthetic opioids such as illegal fentanyl, the FDA said. Emergent BioSolutions, Narcan’s manufacturer, said in a press release, “The decision comes at …