Walgreens announced that it will sell naloxone – an antidote for overdoses of heroin and other opioids – without a prescription in states where it is legal, as part of a two-part plan to combat opioid abuse.
Along with over-the-counter sales of naloxone, Walgreen will add safe medical disposal kiosks to more than 500 stores in 39 states and Washington, D.C., according to a news release. These kiosks primarily will be placed in stores open 24 hours and have already begun rolling out in California.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said naloxone, which is a generic drug, also known by its brand name Narcan, could prevent more than 20,000 deaths annually in the United States. Worldwide, approximately 69,000 people die annually from heroin and other opioid overdoses, the WHO estimated.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) endorsed the use of naloxone in 2015.
“Opioid overdose deaths are devastating families and communities, especially in rural areas,” CDC Director Tom Frieden, said. “Many of these deaths can be prevented by improving prescribing practices to prevent opioid addiction, expanding the use of medication-assisted treatment and increasing use of naloxone for suspected overdoses.”
Naloxone is currently available without a prescription in 35 states and Washington, D.C. It can be inhaled or injected, and reverses the effects of heroin of other opioids.
When the program is fully implemented, naloxone will be available prescription-free in about 5,800 of Walgreens’ 8,200 stores. Walgreens plans to coordinate with drug regulators regarding ways to increase the naloxone’s availability in states where a prescription is required.
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Walgreens rival CVS also has made naloxone available without a prescription.
Naloxone can be injected or used as a nasal spray and typically works within two or three minutes. Aside from heroin, it can counter prescription opioids that include hydrocodone, oxycodone, codeine and tramadol.
Opioid Use
Heroin and opioid abuse hit record levels in 2014, according to CDC data, which counted 47,055 drug overdose deaths. That was up 6.5% from 2013 and 140% from 2000. Drug overdose deaths have increased 137% since 2000 – with opioid-related overdoses climbing 200%.
Roughly 6.5 million Americans misused prescription drugs in 2014, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Walgreens said in its release.
The CDC said prescription opioids – often prescribed for chronic non-cancer pain – were tied to more than 16,000 U.S. deaths in 2013, while 8,000 others were heroin-related.
In 2013, Scotland was the first country to introduce a national program to provide naloxone to addicts. Overall, results were positive. Among people just released from prison, the opioid death rates dropped from 9.8% in both 2006 and 2010 to 4.7% in 2013.
Available without a prescription
Naloxone will be available without a prescription by year’s end in Walgreens locations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
