Walgreens to supply cheaper opioid overdose drug

Walgreens on Wednesday said it’s going to offer its own cheaper version of the over-the-counter opioid overdose reversal spray naloxone. The drug is obtainable online and shall be in all stores at the tip of the month. 

The pharmacy retailer goals to spice up the provision of the lifesaving medication within the U.S. because the nation grapples with the toll of the opioid epidemic and attempts to bring down alarmingly high drug fatality rates.

Greater than 645,000 people died from overdoses involving any opioid, including prescription and illicit opioids, from 1999 to 2021, in accordance with the newest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Naloxone can temporarily reverse the consequences of an overdose from opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, when administered in time. The drug blocks the consequences of opioids on the brain, restoring normal respiration and stopping death.

Despite naloxone’s efficacy, access to the treatment “stays limited in lots of communities,” in accordance with a Walgreens release. 

The corporate said it’s going to sell a two-dose pack of “Walgreens Brand Naloxone” for $34.99. That is around $10 cheaper than the over-the-counter branded drug Narcan, which became the primary prescription-free version of naloxone to win Food and Drug Administration approval last yr. Previously, patients needed a prescription to access naloxone.

“That was a concerted decision to essentially do all the pieces we are able to to extend accessibility, not only when it comes to quantity and availability, but additionally in price,” Dr. Priya Mammen, senior medical director in Walgreens’ Office of Clinical Integrity, told CNBC in an interview. 

The corporate said the launch of its prescription-free naloxone nasal spray comes after the FDA’s recent approval of the product. It’s the generic equivalent of over-the-counter Narcan, which Walgreens currently offers in its stores.

Mammen hopes Walgreens will help reduce the stigma related to drug overdoses and naloxone use. 

The drug “just isn’t only for some people. It is a lifesaving medication that may intervene on anyone at any age, anytime, and it’s something that families, individuals and communities can empower themselves by having it available and may be a part of the answer,” she said.