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DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens has made the opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription at all of its pharmacies in Alabama.
The drug chain said naloxone is now more accessible in over 110 Walgreens pharmacies throughout Alabama. The medication, administered by injection or nasal spray, can be used in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of heroin or other opioid drugs.
“By making naloxone available without a prescription, we are making it easier for Alabama families and caregivers to help their loved ones by having it on hand in case it’s needed,” Rob Braley, Alabama regional health care director for Walgreens, said in a statement. “As a pharmacy, we are here to help people, and we are committed to making naloxone more accessible in the communities we serve.”
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange commented, “Opioid abuse is a serious health threat in Alabama, endangering lives and tearing families apart. Making this life-saving drug available to families means fewer tragic endings and more opportunities for opioid abusers to get help.”
Earlier this month, Walgreens said it began providing naloxone without a prescription in all of its Pennsylvania pharmacies. That followed a late February announcement that naloxone became available without a script at all of the chain’s pharmacies in Ohio and Indiana.
As part of its efforts to battle drug abuse, Walgreens plans to make naloxone available without a prescription in 35 states and Washington, D.C. When that initiative is completed, Walgreens said, naloxone will be available without a prescriptiono in more than 5,800 of its approximately 8,200 stores. Currently, the drug has been made available without a prescription in more than 1,300 Walgreens pharmacies in Alabama, Indiana, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
