FDA advisers recommend making Narcan available over the counter
Independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday unanimously recommended over-the-counter sales of Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses.
Narcan, known generically as naloxone, blocks the effects of opiates on the brain and is usually administered by first responders and outreach workers. Many public health experts have argued that it needs to be widely available without a prescription so people who use drugs, their friends, and relatives can have easy access to it. In 2021, there were 107,000 fatal drug overdoses in the United States, including several people who died after illegally buying pills like Xanax and Percocet that were laced with the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
The advisers determined that Narcan requires no training to administer and is "abundantly safe and effective even in infants, with almost no potential for misuse or abuse," The New York Times writes. Because of their unanimous vote, it's likely the FDA will approve an over-the-counter version of the medication in March, meaning it could hit store shelves and vending machines by summer.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The advisers all being in agreement "underscores the importance of moving this drug to greater access and also highlights the terrible risk of not acting in terms of making the drug more accessible," Maris C. Coyle, chairwoman of the advisory panel and an associate clinical professor at the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, told the Times.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Did Kamala Harris kill brat?
Talking Point Pop culture phenomenon co-opted by presidential candidate sparks claims brat is over
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
Paris Olympics: will it be a success?
Today's Big Question Organisers hope the 'spectacle' of the 2024 Games will lift the cloud of negativity that has hung over the build-up
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 20 - 26 July
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mushroom edibles are tripping up users
the explainer The psychedelics can sometimes have questionable components
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Rapamycin: the popular drug for longevity among biohackers
Under the Radar Living longer may be getting easier
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Pharmaceutical companies are warning of a rise in knockoff drugs
Under the Radar The World Health Organization is also urging consumers to be cautious
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
FDA panel rejects ecstasy to treat PTSD
Speed Read It cited flawed study data and the potential for abuse
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The push to ban decaf coffee
Under the radar Going caffeine-free can be risky
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
US overdose deaths fell in 2023, still topped 100k
Speed Read New CDC data shows drug overdose deaths dropped for the first time in five years
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What reclassifying cannabis could change
The Explainer The Biden administration's move to change marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic to Schedule III could reshape the pot landscape even if it doesn't mean full federal legalization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Texas dairy worker gets bird flu from infected cow
Speed Read The virus has been spreading among cattle in Texas, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published