Alabama doctors praise over-the-counter Narcan decision

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WTVY) - Alabama doctors are praising the Food and Drug Administration’s decision today to allow a nasal spray Narcan to be available without a prescription.

“Making Narcan available without prescription is an essential step to save lives from fentanyl and other opioid-related overdoses,” said Dr. Julia Boothe, President of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. “We encourage all Alabamians to learn how to recognize, prevent and respond to an opioid overdose by using Narcan.”

Narcan is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose and can potentially save a life.

According to the CDC, there has been a more a 500 percent increase in deaths caused by drug overdoes on the last two decades. Making Narcan available over-the-counter is a way to improve access to to the life-saving drug.

A report released las October showed that the number of opioid prescriptions in Alabama have decline over the last eight years. It also showed that prescriptions of Narcan rose 851 percent between 2012-2021.

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