Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions has begun shipping its opioid overdose antidote Narcan to pharmacies.
The company says its Narcan — called naloxone in its generic form — will be available on shelves and online nationwide beginning in September.
Emergent has set a manufacturer’s suggested retail price for Narcan Nasal Spray at $44.99 per package. Each package contains two doses. The actual price at will be set by individual retailers.
According to Emergent, it has lowered the price to $41 for public interest groups, including community organizations and first responders.
The Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter sales of Emergent’s Narcan in March. The FDA approved a second nasal spray version of naloxone called RiVive in July, manufactured by nonprofit pharmaceutical company Harm Reduction Therapeutics.
Emergent gained rights to Narcan as part of its 2018 acquisition of Adapt Pharma. Since then, it has distributed millions of prescription Narcan devices nationally.
Last year, one life was lost approximately every seven minutes nationwide due to an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States.
