Heroin Antidote to be Sold in Walgreens Without Prescription

Walgreens will now be offering a heroin antidote over the counter without a prescription amid heroin epidemic across the United States.

This move from one of the largest drug retailing chain in the country was welcomed by various law enforcement agencies seeing it as an important step to stave off the adverse effect of substance abuse and addiction, which often leads to death.

Naloxone, a heroin overdose antidote drug, will now be within reach from different pharmacies in 35 states, said Walgreens on Tuesday, Feb. 9. It will be covered by most insurance plans. For those without insurance, it will cost them $78 per dose via the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club, according to the Daily Herald.

In order to ensure proper and safe disposal of the used drug, Walgreens will also be putting up kiosks in pharmacies in 39 states.

A lot of law enforcers nowadays are bringing with them these heroin antidote drugs that could help reverse the effects of heroin, especially during emergency and life-threatening situations, wrote CBS Chicago.

"Now if you have a parent, for example, that has a child that is struggling with addiction or an adult child living at home, they can have it on hand," said Mike Nerheim, attorney for Lake County State. "Those minutes count and I think the more Naloxone out there, the more accessible it is, the more lives are going to be saved."

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a surge in the use of heroin in the country even among those groups that once have low rates of heroin use. This increase in the number of heroin use also translated to an increase in the number of overdose deaths.

CDC data showed that the number of deaths due to heroin overdose have risen by four times between 2002 and 2013. In 2013 alone, more than 8,000 lives were lost.

The drug could come in the form of injection or nasal spray. It is expected to be available over the counter in over 5,800 out of 8,200 Walgreens stores in the country when the program was completely rolled out by the company within the year.

Back in the late November of 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan nasal spray, which is the first FDA-approved nasal spray version of naloxone hydrochloride. This medication is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, including that of heroin.

"We understand the challenges our communities face, and we stand ready to help our patients and customers lead healthier lives. When the stakes are this high, the solutions must be comprehensive," said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of pharmacy and retail operations.