Long Beach drug stores will start selling Narcan over-the-counter in September

Now that it can be purchased without a prescription, the overdose reversal drug Narcan is expected to be on store shelves within days.

The FDA in March approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan, the brand name for the drug naloxone. It can revive someone from an overdose of opioid drugs such as oxycodone, heroin and fentanyl.

A number of Long Beach area pharmacies plan to stock it, and it will also be sold online, according to pharmacists, news reports and company statements. The drug’s manufacturer has suggested a cost of $44.99 for a two-dose package, according to a company news release.

The drug has become an increasingly important tool for public health and safety workers, and anyone who knows someone struggling with opioid addiction. Nearly 11,000 people died from overdoses in California in 2021, the most recent number available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Long Beach firefighters’ and paramedics’ use of the drug increased more than 350% between 2018 and 2022, climbing from 271 uses in 2018 to 1,251 uses last year, or more than three per day, according to information provided by the city in response to a public records request.

Local stores that plan to stock Narcan nasal spray include Atlantic Drugs in Bixby Knolls, where store owner Amit Thakkar said Thursday said he intended to get some “as soon as it’s available for us to order.”

Coastal Drugs in the Bluff Park neighborhood also will offer Narcan once the store’s wholesaler has it, pharmacist Catherine Mwangale said.

It may not be covered by insurance, she said, but “at least it will be available for everyone, which is good.”

More than 7,500 CVS Pharmacy stores will offer the drug in early September, and it will also be sold online, CVS spokesperson Matt Blanchette said in an email. Customers can pay with a health savings or flexible spending account.

Rite Aid also will have Narcan available in stores and online in early September, a company spokesperson said via email, and a news release Walgreens issued Wednesday said it will roll out nationwide on Sept. 7.