The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first generic nasal spray version of Narcan, a treatment to reverse opioid overdose produced by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals, CBS News has reported.
“In the wake of the opioid crisis, a number of efforts are underway to make this emergency overdose reversal treatment more readily available and more accessible.
“In addition to this approval of the first generic naloxone nasal spray, moving forward we will prioritize our review of generic drug applications for naloxone,” Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., deputy center director for regulatory programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.
Since 2016, naxalone has been available without a prescription in the United States as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan. It is also available in generic or brand-name injectable form in automatic pre-filled syringes and vials.
For those without insurance, a pack of two Narcan nasal sprays costs between $130 and $150.
