(KERO) — A key tool in the fight to prevent overdose deaths could be available over the counter by early next year.
Narcan is the brand name version of naloxone, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose. The drugmaker says the nasal spray has now been granted priority review by the Food and Drug Administration meaning it could be available over the counter by the end of March.
"Currently, Narcan is available without a prescription in all 50 states, but every state has its own set of policies that can be confusing and that kind of confusion is exactly what we do not want," said Addiction Psychiatry at Ohio State University, Dr. Trent Hall.
In some states, narcan is placed behind the counter meaning a person would have to talk to a pharmacy employee to get it.
Last year, there were more than 107 thousand estimated drug overdose deaths in the U.S according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency says synthetic opioids accounted for most of those deaths.
