CVS Health working on several fronts to address the opioid overdose epidemic

WOONSOCKET – CVS Health Corp. and Adapt Pharma, an innovative pharmaceutical company with U.S. headquarters in Radnor, Pa., recently announced a new partnership to make the opioid overdose-reversing drug Narcan Nasal Spray (the trade name for the‎ naloxone nasal spray) less expensive for those without health insurance.

Through the partnership, CVS Pharmacy patients who purchase Narcan Nasal Spray without insurance will receive a $35 discount coupon for the medication, which reduces the out-of-pocket cost by nearly 25 percent. Narcan Nasal Spray, the first and only FDA-approved, ready-to-use nasal formulation of naloxone for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose, is available in a box containing two units (each unit delivers a concentrated dose of four milligrams of active medication – naloxone hydrochloride – in a 0.1 ml mist) for immediate use, should an emergency situation occur.

“Having a ready-to-use dose of naloxone in a nasal spray device makes administration of this life-saving medication quick and easy for friends and families of loved ones struggling with addiction in an emergency overdose situation,” Tom Davis, vice president of pharmacy professional practices at CVS Health, said in a CVS statement. “CVS Health is dedicated to helping communities address and prevent prescription drug abuse, which is why we have worked to increase access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone for patients. Using a physician’s standing order or collaborative practice agreement, we have eliminated the need for patients to obtain a prescription for naloxone in 31 states across the country.”

“This partnership is an important milestone in increasing access to FDA-approved naloxone formulations across U.S. communities. We are encouraged by the progress marked by CVS Pharmacy’s decision to improve affordability of Narcan Nasal Spray, especially within states with standing orders, which allow patient access to this opioid overdose treatment without physician-written naloxone prescriptions,” Seamus Mulligan, Adapt Pharma’s chairman and CEO, said in the CVS statement.

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CVS pharmacists are empowered to distribute naloxone to patients without requiring individual prescriptions for the drug, through its naloxone program. Effective this month, CVS Health will make this life-saving medication more accessible to CVS Pharmacy patients in 31 states, including the New England states of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

CVS Health also offers drug abuse prevention education, outreach and access to safe medication disposal, with information at CVS.com. Its community outreach program, Pharmacists Teach, brings local pharmacists to talk about drug abuse’s dangers with high school students. CVS Health is part of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids for the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which has donated more than 600 drug disposal units to police departments around the country so people can safely dispose of unwanted medications. A zip code locator at CVS.com provides information on the disposal unit locations.

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