Buffalo, NY (WBEN) -Wednesday's FDA approval of over the counter sale of Narcan should lead to increased availability, and pharmacists tell WBEN not requiring a prescription for Narcan can help save lives.
"I think it's a good idea," says Ann Bowback of Spectrum Health and Human Services. She says people can get Narcan for free from Spectrum Health, the Erie County Department or the Opioid Task Force. "But I think some people don't want to go to events. They don't want to go to the pharmacy and ask for it. Maybe it feels a little more private, just be able to grab it off the counter and go to the checkout," believes Bowback.
Bowback is, however, concerned about affordability. "People can currently get it from the pharmacy, all you have to do is walk up to a participating pharmacist and ask for it. If you have insurance as a small copay, if you don't have insurance, there's a coupon that cuts down your copay," explains Bowback. But she notes as stated above, there are ways to get Narcan for free if needed.
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Don Arthur of Black Rock Pharmacy says over the counter Narcan is a good idea, considering the concerns over fentanyl. "Because of the extremely low cost of fentanyl, and some of our federal policies regarding access to fentanyl into our country, we're not going to be able to solve that in the short term," notes Arthur. He says Narcan is a life saver. "When we suspect an opioid overdose and fentanyl, we can quickly administer Narcan which is in the form of a spray...and we can reverse those effects of the opioid overdose quickly," notes Arthur.
Arthur says New York created a pathway for patients throughout the state to receive a generic version of Narcan without a prescription from their physician several months ago. "What that means is that pharmacists now are authorized to dispense Naloxone spray Narcan, without a prescription and bill an individual's insurance plan."
"In Western New York, probably 95% of the population has some form of prescription coverage, either Medicare, Medicaid or a private commercial plan," adds Arthur. He says he's counseled every opioid patient for the past two months. "It's a difficult conversation because our patients, whether they're senior citizens on chronic pain, younger patients who are in acute pain due to an injury, they're reluctant because of the kind of condition that Narcan may indicate a reference that they abused prescription opioids. And that's not what we're trying to do here. We're just trying to ... have a solution as effective as Narcan available in as many homes as possible," says Arthur.
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Arthur says he has access to these products six days a week, and plans to have at least six pieces of over the counter Narcan. But he has this warning; this is not an excuse for you to experiment with illegal medications. "This does not make it okay, this does not make it safe. It's a prescription drug. It's a very strong drug. It's got a very specific use to reverse the effects of opioid poisoning. But it's absolutely not something that we want to have to use in an emergency," says Arthur.