Walgreens to offer cheaper version of opioid reversal drug
- Nearly 110,000 Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2022
- Naloxone requires no medical training to administer
- It can immediately reverse the effects of an overdose
FILE – This June 25, 2019, file photo shows a sign outside a Walgreens Pharmacy in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
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If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) to access help and find treatment options in your area.
(NewsNation) — Walgreens is expected to soon offer a cheaper version of a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, according to a press release.
“Walgreens today announced it is expanding access to an over-the-counter, life-saving medication with the launch of Walgreens Brand Naloxone HCI Nasal Spray,” reads the press release from Walgreens’ parent company, Walgreens Boots Alliance.
Walgreens’ version of the drug is $34.99, according to the release, which the parent company says is “a lower price than the comparable national brand product at Walgreens stores.”
“The product is currently available online and will be chainwide in all stores by the end of the month, where it can be found in the pain aisle, providing a critical point of access for the nearly 10 million customers and patients the company serves every day in local communities throughout the U.S.,” the release states.
Drug deaths in the U.S. hit a record high in 2022 at 109,680, according to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Naloxone is available in all 50 states without a prescription and comes in an injectable form used by medical personnel and a nasal spray that can be used by anyone.
Always call 911 if someone is experiencing an overdose. While naloxone will act in an emergency to reverse an overdose, more treatment is needed.
NewsNation’s Steph Whiteside and The Hill contributed to this report.
