FDA Considers Whether Naloxone Devices Should Contain Standard Dose of Drug

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will determine whether naloxone devices distributed in communities should contain a standard dose of the opioid overdose antidote, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Drug companies that make naloxone devices do not agree on how much naloxone should be administered following an opioid overdose, the article notes. The outcome of a meeting this week between the FDA and naloxone makers could change the drug’s pricing and availability. The average price of naloxone has risen from $1 a dose a decade ago to $40 a dose today.

Naloxone is becoming easier to buy around the country. Most states have passed laws allowing people to buy naloxone without a prescription. Drugstores and other retailers are also making it more easily available. Until recently, naloxone, sold as Narcan, was available mostly through clinics, hospitals or paramedics and other first responders.