SACRAMENTO — Californians can now buy opioid reversal drugs directly from the state under a program aimed at making the life-saving medication less expensive and more accessible, officials said Monday.
The state began selling its own generic version of Narcan last year for $24 per twin-pack to businesses and local governments, and will now also sell to individual consumers online. A box containing two doses of naloxone nasal spray costs between $45 and $70 from regular pharmacies and online marketplaces.
Opioid overdose deaths, which are caused by heroin, fentanyl and oxycodone, have increased dramatically in California and across the country in recent years, reaching 7,847 in the state in 2023. But California officials say they have started to see a decline in these deaths.
The move is part of a broader push by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to try to force drug companies to lower their prices by offering cheaper, competing versions of medication under the state’s CalRx label.
“Life-saving medications shouldn’t come with a life-altering price tag. CalRx is about making essential drugs like naloxone affordable and accessible for all — not the privileged few,” Newsom said in a statement.
Naloxone, which can reverse overdoses of opioids, has been available in the U.S. without a prescription since March of 2023, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, a nasal spray brand produced by the Maryland-based pharmaceutical company Emergent BioSolutions.
California is also working on a plan to make insulin more affordable for residents. The state has an agreement with the nonprofit Civica to produce CalRx-branded insulin used to treat diabetes.
Related Posts:
- We quit rat race to buy entire VILLAGE worth just £67,000 in holiday hotspot – now we’ll rake in £1,000s from Airbnb News A BRITISH couple have packed in the 9 to 5 and bought themselves a whole village in France — all for just £67,000. Ben Pearson, 39, and his partner Nathan, 31, struck gold when they bought a rural French property for just £67,000. SWNS Ben Pearson (right) and his husband…
- Susan Shelley: Warning for Californians: tax hikes are coming News Cell phones have emergency alert apps that will shriek and buzz loudly enough to wake you up at night if there’s an earthquake or wildfire. It’s a good thing there’s no app to warn of impending tax increases. Nobody in California would get any sleep. The state government is in…
- Californians aren’t blind to Newsom’s ambitions News Gavin Newsom wants to be president of the United States. This has been apparent for some time now. What has also been apparent is that he’s been more distracted by these aspirations. It now appears that a majority of Californians have come to perceive this, too. A recent UC Berkeley…
- Ariel Winter left LA, she now has six dogs and volunteers to catch online predators Entertainment Did you know that it’s only been five years since Modern Family ended? If you had told me that it was celebrating its tenth anniversary off-air, I would have believed you. The post-pandemic/lockdown time warp strikes again! For some reason I thought that half of the adult cast had popped…
- Danny Dyer shares drugs bombshell after slamming EastEnders scripts Entertainment Danny Dyer has detailed his drug use while starring on EastEnders (Picture: BBC/ Kieron McCarron/ Jack Barnes) Danny Dyer has admitted he was ‘off his nut’ on prescription drugs during his time starring on EastEnders. Before joining the BBC soap, Danny was best known for appearing in films including Human…
(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)