LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The FDA approved the first over-the-counter version of opioid overdose reversing Narcan. According to the office of Drug Control Policy, there were over 2,200 overdose deaths in Kentucky during 2021. 

Narcan is the new over-the-counter remedy for opioid overdoses. This is the first drug of its kind to be available without a doctor’s prescription.

“Whether you have someone in your life that has opioid use disorder or not, if you have a first aid kit, this should be in the first aid kit, if you have bathrooms that are open to the public, you should have Naloxone at your establishment.” Said Erica Williams-Archie of the New Leaf Clinic in Louisville where they are dedicated to training and providing citizens on how to use Narcan. 

“It’s a safe and effective drug. But in this intra-nasal form it’s accessible to the community to administer,” said Dr. Stephen Cawood, Director of Emergency Services at Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital. 

Cawood is extremely familiar with the use of Narcan. Over 100,000 Americans die annually from overdoses. 

“You can give several doses of it without concern of doing harm. People that are opioid naïve or do not have opioids in their systems it’s not going to cause an effect one way or another, ” said Cawood. 

Narcan is also available at the New Leaf Clinic. There, one can receive training with overdose prevention kits. The kits contain two doses of Narcan. 

Naloxone is expected to be in pharmacies as early as this summer.