2014’s top posts: #4

~ Jason Schwartz

CVS is selling Narcan in Rhode Island

NARCAN-KITHere’s an interesting development in access to Narcan:

CVS Pharmacy announced that it would offer the opiate antidote Narcan without a prescription at all of its 60 pharmacies in Rhode Island by the end of month.

Narcan, also known as naloxone, offers immediate help for anyone overdosing from an opiate such as heroin or a prescription painkiller such as OxyContin. If given in time, Narcan can reverse an overdose by restoring breathing.

“Over half of our pharmacies are now under a collaborative agreement that allows them to dispense Narcan without a prescription,” CVS spokesman Michael DeAngelis said Friday. “It’s part of our commitment to combat prescription drug abuse. We think it’s a great public service.”

Read the rest here.

Published by Jason Schwartz

I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I no longer work at Dawn Farm and am now the Director of Behavioral Medicine at a community hospital, and a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work. Views expressed here are my own. Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.