Unconsciousness, pinpoint pupils, clammy skin and slow breathing: these are the symptoms of an opioid drug overdose, which caused more than 80,000 deaths in the United States in 2022 according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Naloxone, an opioid overdose-reversing drug, was approved in 1971 as an injectable syringe for hospitals to use for reversing drug overdoses. An over-the-counter version of naloxone — a nasal spray known by the brand name Narcan — was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2023 to be sold in stores without needing a prescription.
Following the approval, Narcan production company Emergent Biosolutions started shipping off Narcan to stores like CVS, RiteAid and other drugstore chains.
Yet Narcan’s newfound availability comes with debates over its price: $44.99 for a box with two, 4-milligram nasal sprays of naloxone.
Alternative forms of naloxone nasal sprays are available with a prescription and are generally cheaper than Narcan. However, Narcan’s accessibility is what makes it stand out.
“People with the money and motivation will seek this product out, which is fantastic,” John Hopkins University professor and addiction policy expert Brendan Saloner said in a New York Times report.
However, some argue that being readily available in stores isn’t enough; though Narcan has dropped from $90 to $45, purchasers still may not be able to afford Narcan, even if it’s technically accessible.
“For what it is, Narcan is a reasonable price, in my opinion, just because of all its life-saving benefits,” Fight Overdose Club President senior Madeline Schumann said. “But there is a part of me that does feel like it’s not the right price for its target — low-income populations who are in most danger of overdosing.”
To help increase Narcan accessibility for Los Altos High School (LAHS) students, teachers also received Narcan for their classrooms.
“Even before LAHS gave their educators Narcan, I already had naloxone available in my classroom for students and made sure they were aware of it,” math teacher Toni Smith said. “And I think the even bigger picture is to educate students and teachers on drug overdosing and safety so that we don’t need to be in a situation where someone has to use Narcan.”
But overall, Narcan and other forms of naloxone are only harm reducers — its drug safety education and health support that’s truly life-saving.
According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration, six out of ten counterfeit drug pills they tested in 2022 were laced with a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. It’s statistics like these that lead experts to claim we’re currently in an opioid drug epidemic.
“Part of the drug epidemic is that people are reticent to admit they’re an addict,” Denver Recovery Group CEO Anthony Lanza said. “At the end of the day, education about drug safety is most important — you can get high for a lot less money nowadays. Narcan is a second chance for addicts.”
Outside LAHS, the closest place students can find Narcan is at the CVS on El Monte Avenue. CVS stores have Narcan behind the front registers, but they encourage buyers to ask for Narcan at the pharmacy counters to check for potential insurance plans.
