SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Californians can now purchase opioid reversal medication instantly from the state beneath a program geared toward making the life-saving treatment cheaper and extra accessible, officers mentioned Monday.
The state started promoting its personal generic model of Narcan final yr for $24 per twin-pack to companies and native governments, and can now additionally promote to particular person customers on-line. A field containing two doses of naloxone nasal spray prices between $45 and $70 from common pharmacies and on-line marketplaces.
Opioid overdose deaths, that are attributable to heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone, have elevated dramatically in California and throughout the nation in recent times, reaching 7,847 within the state in 2023. However California officers say they’ve began to see a decline in these deaths.
The transfer is a part of a broader push by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to attempt to pressure drug firms to decrease their costs by providing cheaper, competing variations of treatment beneath the state’s CalRx label.
“Life-saving drugs shouldn’t include a life-altering price ticket. CalRx is about making important medication like naloxone reasonably priced and accessible for all — not the privileged few,” Newsom mentioned in an announcement.
Naloxone, which might reverse overdoses of opioids, has been obtainable within the U.S. with no prescription since March of 2023, when the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration authorised Narcan, a nasal spray model produced by the Maryland-based pharmaceutical firm Emergent BioSolutions.
California can also be engaged on a plan to make insulin extra reasonably priced for residents. The state has an settlement with the nonprofit Civica to provide CalRx-branded insulin used to deal with diabetes.