Narcan availability varies from store to store across the U.S., making life-saving opioid overdose medication harder to find.

Yes, they do sell Narcan.

Since the over-the-counter version went on sale last fall, the drug is now available for purchase at more than 32,000 mass retailers, pharmaceutical and grocery stores, online retailers and e-commerce sites, said a senior executive from manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions. Vice President Paul Williams said. Narcan said in a statement. He said the company distributed more than 20 million doses of the antidote in the U.S. and Canada in 2023, both over-the-counter and by prescription.

In the fourth quarter of last year, Emergent report Narcan sales were $111 million, an increase of 22% year over year. The increase was primarily driven by over-the-counter drug sales, the drugmaker said.

Dennis Cauchon, president of Harm Reduction Ohio, a nonprofit organization that distributes Narcan for free, said it's too early to gauge the impact the commercial version is having on society. opioid crisis.

Hadland knows of at least one case where a patient used over-the-counter Narcan to save a friend.

“People are recognizing it as something that everyone should consider carrying,” he said. “I think it will save lives.”

CVS Health spokesman Matt Blanchett declined to share sales data for over-the-counter Narcan, but said the product is “well-supplied” at store registers and near pharmacies. .

All CVS pharmacists are trained on how Narcan works and can provide counseling before purchasing, Blanchett added. You can also purchase products at CVS.com.

overcome the stigma

For products like Narcan, anonymity is part of the access.

The biggest hurdle may be the stigma of walking into a brightly lit store and asking the pharmacist or other employee behind the counter for Narcan.

“They may ask invasive, probing questions like, 'What's your name?'” What's your occupation? How old are you? said House. “Bringing it to the forefront without being prescribed further removes those stigmas and barriers.”

A Walgreens spokesperson said Narcan is placed behind the front register where customers can easily see it. There are also pull cards on the shelves in the pain medicine aisle. The company is “in continuous communication with our field teams to ensure consistent and proper product placement,” the spokesperson added.

NBC News reports that in 16 Walgreens stores in 11 states and Washington, D.C., in addition to behind the front register, it is placed behind the pharmacy counter and on shelves in the painkiller aisle displayed beside the pharmacy. I found that it was covered.

cost wall

At nearly every store NBC News visited, over-the-counter Narcan cost about $45, a price tag for many people who use opioids.

As of late February, a small number of Publix stores, including four in Florida and one in Chattanooga, Tennessee, listed the product for $49.99. At his two Walgreens stores in Maryland and Florida, he was selling Narcan for $49.99.

A Walgreens spokesperson said the company is talking with stores about keeping the product priced at $44.99.

Publix did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Caution said independent pharmacies could sell the drug at an even higher price.

To really make a difference, he said, the price of a two-dose pack would need to be around $5.

“We've had very few reports of people coming in and making purchases,” he said at Narcan, Ohio.

“In theory, that's a good thing. Looking back, I'm glad this happened as a historical event,” de Simkins said. Narcan has arrived in stores. “Right now, it's distracting.”

Hadland said he expects the people who buy over-the-counter Narcan to be family members of opioid users.

“In particular, we've seen more parents wanting to keep Narcan at home, like a fire extinguisher in case of an emergency,” he says.

NBC Bay Area, NBC South Florida, NBC Connecticut and NBC affiliate stations KTAL (Shreveport, LA), WBAL (Baltimore), WDTN (Dayton, OH), WFLA (Tampa, FL), WIS (Columbia, SC), WOWT (Omaha, Nebraska), WRAL (Raleigh, North Carolina), and WRCB (Chattanooga, Tennessee) contributed reporting.