April 21, 2023: Emergent BioSolutions says it expects the cost of its over-the-counter nasal spray Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication, to be less than $50 for a box of two 4-milligram doses.
Emergent said its goal is to make the OTC retail price “consistent” with the price the company charges public interest groups, which averages less than $50 per pack. But the actual retail price will be set by individual retailers, Emergent said in a press release.
The FDA approved OTC Narcan on March 29, but Emergent did not provide a cost at the time. Emergent said it anticipates the drug will be available in stores and online by late summer.
That $50 price would be less than the company’s current $125 wholesale acquisition cost price, Emergent said. Still, the drug would be too expensive for many people who would benefit from it, health experts told NBC News.
“It’s unlikely that most people will spend $40 or $50 on Narcan,” said Michael Barnett, MD, associate professor of health policy and management at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. “They are also prioritizing rent, food, and they also pay for opioids, which we want to see decreased.”
The drug is now available by prescription and free of charge at public health departments and community centers. Some pharmacy chains offer the drug without a prescription, but consumers have to ask a pharmacist to dispense it. Health insurance generally does not cover over-the-counter medications, and it is not known if an exception will be made with Narcan.
“There’s an inevitable tension when drugs like Narcan are approved over-the-counter,” Larry Levitt, KFF’s executive vice president of health policy, told NBC News. “These drugs become more accessible without a prescription, but also, ironically, more expensive for patients in many cases if they are not covered by insurance.”
Narcan is expected to help reduce the number of fatal opioid overdoses, estimated at 1,000,000 per year in the United States.
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