FDA Approves Over-the-Counter Narcan—Here’s What It Means

FDA Approves Over-the-Counter Narcan—Here’s What It Means
The overdose-reversal drug Narcan is displayed during training for employees of the Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) in Philadelphia on Dec. 4, 2018. Matt Rourke/AP Photo
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved selling the leading version of naloxone without a prescription, setting the overdose-reversing drug on course to become the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter.

It’s a move that some advocates have long sought as a way to improve access to a life-saving drug, though the exact impact will not be clear immediately.