Access to Naloxone
Currently, CVS pharmacies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island allow nonprescription purchases of naloxone, the overdose reversal drug. On Wednesday, the company announced that it will be expanding access to naloxone by making the drug available for nonprescription purchase in 12 more states. These states are Arkansas, California, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin.
Vice president of pharmacy professional practices at CVS, Tom Davis said, “Over 44,000 people die from accidental drug overdoses every year in the United States and most of those deaths are from opioids, including controlled substance pain medication and illegal drugs such as heroin.
Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by providing access to this medication in our pharmacies without a prescription in more states, we can help save lives.”
Click HERE for the full article by Nick Wing on Huffington Post.