Fentanyl Overdose Antidote Gets Fast Tracked Review by FDA, Company Says

Naloxone available here stickers are pictured during at Bathgate Fire Station in Bathgate, Scotland, on Feb. 9, 2022. Jeff J Mitchell-Pool/Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will give priority status to an over-the-counter opium overdose antidote nasal spray submitted for review, the pharmaceutical company said Monday.

The over-the-counter naloxone nasal spray is needed to combat the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is linked to tens of thousands of annual overdose deaths in the United States. California lawmakers recently introduced a bill to require the drug on K-12 school campuses after several students overdosed.