The company that makes the opioid overdose antidote Narcan announced this week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has fast-tracked its application for an over-the-counter version of the treatment, CBS News reports.
Emergent BioSolutions said in a news release that the FDA’s priority review means the agency could approve Narcan to be available in drugstores without a prescription in late March 2023. Narcan, a nasal-spray form of naloxone, was approved by the FDA in 2015.
Last month, the FDA urged pharmaceutical companies to apply for approval of over-the-counter versions of naloxone. In a news release, FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. said the agency’s action “supports our efforts to combat the opioid overdose crisis by helping expand access to naloxone. The agency will keep overdose prevention and reduction in substance use disorders as a key priority and area of intense strategic focus for action as rapidly as possible.”