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What over-the-counter Narcan means for combating opioid overdoses

The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed. (Matt Rourke/AP)
The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed. (Matt Rourke/AP)

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the sale of Narcan, a nasal spray to treat overdoses, for over-the-counter, non-prescription purchase. It’s a long-awaited victory for combating the opioid epidemic, particularly to curb overdoses and deaths from fentanyl. But the greater naloxone drug manufacturing industry has put high prices on life-saving products, targeting people’s fear of fentanyl and keeping the prevention drug out of people’s hands.

Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, speaks to host Deepa Fernandes about the new FDA approval and what it means for combating the opioid epidemic.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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