Table of Contents
CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. has made the opioid overdose antidote naloxone available without a prescription at its pharmacies in 13 states.
The drug chain said Monday that naloxone — administered by injection or nasal spray — previously was available only with a prescription from a doctor.
Subject to state regulations, Rite Aid now offers naloxone for purchase without a patient-specific prescription in Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
More than 10,000 Rite Aid pharmacists have been trained on naloxone dispensing, the company said, adding that it plans to broaden its naloxone dispensing program in other states where the medication is available only via prescription.
“As a community health care provider, we have a responsibility to do our part in the fight against opioid abuse, and that’s why Rite Aid has made it a priority to expand access to this life-saving medication in the communities we serve,” Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy Jocelyn Konrad said in a statement. “By making naloxone available without a prescription at our pharmacies, we are doing our part to help save lives and address the issue of opioid abuse in our country.”
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rite Aid reported that opioid overdoses were involved in 28,647 deaths in 2014, more than any year on record.
