FDA approves Narcan for over-the-counter sales as critical tool to counteract opioids

Federal regulators have approved the first over-the-counter naloxone product, enabling people to buy the opioid overdose treatment directly from places like pharmacies, convenience stores and online.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday it approved the nasal spray naloxone product, commonly known as Narcan, for use without a prescription. Narcan has been approved as a prescription drug since 2015 and is the standard treatment to reverse an opioid overdose by reversing or blocking an opioid’s effects on the brain.