NARCAN
By Staff Reporters
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According to Morning Brew, for the first time, people across the US will be able to purchase an overdose-reversal drug that’s as easy to administer as Flonase, without a prescription. Next week, nationwide chains like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, and Rite Aid will begin selling two-dose boxes of Narcan, a naloxone nasal spray that saves people from opioid overdose, in stores and online.
Making naloxone widely accessible has long been a goal for public health experts because Fentanyl-laced drugs can kill people before paramedics arrive, but some now worry that over-the-counter Narcan’s $45 retail price could be too high for those who need it most.
That’s where insurance comes in:
- Medicaid and Medicare already cover prescription naloxone, and so far, Missouri, California, Massachusetts, Washington, Rhode Island, and Oregon Medicaid programs said they’ll cover OTC Narcan, too.
- While private health plans often restrict OTC drug coverage, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts said it’ll fully cover nonprescription Narcan.
But this won’t help the one-fifth of people with opioid use disorder who are uninsured. Some government and harm reduction programs give out Narcan for free—and those groups can now order two-dose boxes in bulk at a discounted $41 per box, according to manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions.
PODCAST BALTIMORE NOD: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2022/08/31/what-is-the-baltimore-nod/
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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Breaking News, Drugs and Pharma, Ethics, Experts Invited, Health Insurance, Risk Management | Tagged: Baltimore nod, CVs, DEA, Drugs, emergent biosolotions, health insurance drugs, Medicaid, medicare, Morning Brew, naloxone, narcan, otc drugs, Rite Aid, walgreens, Walmart |
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