Narcan accessibility varies store-to-store across U.S., making life-saving opioid overdose drug harder to find
The opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan has been available to buy over the counter since 2023, but for stores across the U.S., it seems purchasing it isn’t always easy.
It was a glimmer of hope amid America’s raging opioid epidemic. Narcan, the nasal spray that can almost instantaneously reverse a potentially deadly opioid overdose, was going to be available over the counter in stores, easy to find and easy to buy.
With the proliferation of fentanyl in the illegal drug supply, overdose deaths in the U.S. had reached alarming rates and most efforts to stop the crisis were failing.
Narcan needed to be more readily accessible for anyone who might need it to save a friend or even a stranger.
In a long-awaited move, the Food and Drug Administration cleared the antidote for over-the-counter use in March 2023, and in September the $45 two-dose boxes were shipped across the country. Prior to that, Narcan, or naloxone nasal spray, was distributed for free at community health centers and was also available via prescription.
NBC News visited 64 stores in 15 states and Washington, D.C., over three weeks in February looking for over-the-counter Narcan, including major chain drug stores, independent pharmacies, supermarkets, big-box chains, convenience stores and gas stations.
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