CVS Expands Over-The-Counter Sales Of Heroin Antidote
Naloxone Wikimedia User intropin Mega-pharmacy chain CVS announced Wednesday that it will start selling naloxone without a prescription in 12 new states. Previously, only customers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts had over-the-counter privileges for the drug, which treats overdoses from opioids like heroin, morphine, and prescription pain medications like Oxycontin and Vicodin. When someone overdoses on an opioid, the drug attaches to receptors in their brain and blocks signals that control their breathing. Naloxone works by knocking the opioids off the brain’s receptors, allowing an overdose victim to start breathing again within minutes. The drug comes in an injectable form and a nasal spray, which vary in price per state. In Pennsylvania, one of the new states added to CVS’s list, the injectable form will sell for $52.99 and the nasal spray for $40.69. “Over...