PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Narcan, the narcotic overdose treatment, will soon be available as an over-the-counter drug.
The Food and Drug Administration granted the application from Narcan maker Emergent BioSolutions Inc. to make a nasal spray available without a prescription by March 29, 2023.
In Washington state, this is already happening at some locations. At Southwest Washington Accountable Community of Health and Beacon Health Options in Vancouver, Narcan is available from a vending machine.
Vicky Smith with XChange Recovery Center said Narcan “saves lives and really it should be everywhere.”
The vending machines are paid for with grant money, and the naloxone in the vending machines is free. That eliminates another barrier for those struggling with addiction.
“I think it’s amazing. Narcan is simply the antidote for saving lives,” Smith said. “Folks that are entrapped in their addiction or struggle with opiate addiction — with Narcan, it saves lives and really it should be everywhere.”
One of the vending machines is at the Recovery Cafe in Kelso. The organization’s Tracey Jennings said the recovering community in Clark County is very connected.
“That stigma attached to it, maybe they don’t want to walk through the doors. So, I think everyone should have access to going to their own pharmacy or a pharmacy and having naloxone with them,” she said. “Everyone, everywhere should have it.”
Narcan vending machine locations in Southwest Washington
Clark County
XChange Recovery Center
21810 NE 37th Ave
Ridgefield, Washington
Lifeline Connections Recovery Resource Center
9317 NE Hwy 99, Ste. M
Vancouver, Washington
Recovery Cafe
3312 E 4th Plain Blvd. Ste. #100
Vancouver, WA 98661
Skamania County
NorthShore Medical Group
875 SW Rock Creek Dr.
Stevenson, WA 98648
Klickitat County
Klickitat Valley Health
317 Sanders Way
Goldendale, WA 98620
There is a standing order in Washington state where anyone can get Narcan from the pharmacy with or without a prescription. Oregon has no such order but many pharmacists will write one.
Narcan can be bought without a prescription at most pharmacies in all U.S. states and territories, but it is typically not available OTC. It is usually bought “behind the counter” (BTC), which means a person must speak to a pharmacy employee in order to get the drug.
Doctors agree: If you administer Narcan to someone who is not overdosing it will not hurt them.