Health Care — Narcan access expanding

Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter

View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Access to opioid overdose reversal drug set to expand The drugmaker Emergent BioSolutions has announced that over-the-counter Narcan will be available beginning next week, expanding access to the critical overdose medication. © Getty The company said this week that the 4 mg spray "will be available on shelves nationwide and online beginning in September."   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the over-the-counter (OTC) version in March. Though naloxone is a prescription medication, all states had workarounds that allowed pharmacists to sell the drug "under-the-counter" to high-risk individuals.   Paying out-of-pocket, without insurance, most people pay $130 to $140 for a two-dose box of Narcan. The cost, coupled with the associated stigma of going into a pharmacy to ask for the treatment, prohibited many people from obtaining it.   The $45 price tag that Emergent BioSolutions has set for a two-dose box and the new OTC status is expected to encourage more uptake among those at risk of overdose.   The nonprofit pharmaceutical company Harm Reduction Therapeutics also recently received FDA approval to sell a cheaper OTC naloxone spray.    Federal data suggests the need for overdose treatments is growing.   Newly released numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week found that overdose deaths from counterfeit pill use has reached record levels in recent years.   Between July 2019 and December 2021, more than 54,000 overdose deaths were linked to fake pills.   The White House on Thursday announced further action against the overdoses epidemic, issuing $450 million in new funding in light of International Overdose Awareness Day. The money will go toward support programs, raising fentanyl awareness among young people and disrupting illegal drug trafficking operations. Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, I'm Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Texas Supreme Court allows state gender-affirming care ban to take effect Texas's Supreme Court will allow a new state law banning gender-affirming health care for transgender minors to take effect Friday, denying a motion to block the state's enforcement of the ban while a legal battle over its constitutionality is ongoing. Texas District Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel this month temporarily halted the state's ban on gender-affirming health care for minors that was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott …  Full Story Overdose deaths from counterfeit drugs at historically high levels, and rising: CDC Overdose deaths from phony drugs are at historically high levels and are continuing to rise, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC report, conducted between July 2019 and December 2021, found that evidence of fake pill use and overdose deaths more than doubled during this period and tripled in the western United States. In total, there were more than 54,000 overdose deaths …  Full Story Fetterman celebrates Biden 'win' on marijuana, urges DEA to follow  Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) praised President Biden and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday after the department sent its recommendation to reschedule marijuana to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), a key step in reducing federal regulations on the drug. Biden asked the HHS to look into rescheduling last year, and the department's recommendation now goes to the DEA, which has final say. "Yesterday's …  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Alabama's attorney general says the state can prosecute those who help women travel for abortions MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s attorney general argued in a court filing that the state has the authority to bring conspiracy charges against groups who help women travel to another state for an abortion. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office made the assertion in a Monday motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by … Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Virginia experiencing statewide outbreak of serious meningococcal disease: Officials (ABC News) Telehealth abortions are on the rise in California (Axios) First West Nile Virus cases of the year identified in Massachusetts (Boston.com) What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Trump launched an ambitious effort to end HIV. House Republicans want to defund it (NPR) US senators push drugmakers for details on low-cost insulin programs (Reuters) A big insurer decides to cover naloxone for overdose; will others follow? (Stat) What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Thomas, Alito go on the attack over Supreme Court ethics Conservative Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are increasingly going on offense as they seek to push back against a firestorm … Read more Ukraine breaks through major Russian defense lines as counteroffensive picks up pace Ukrainian forces have broken through major Russian lines of defense in the southeastern region, where a slow counteroffensive has struggled for months … Read more What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: A magic pill for poverty's health impacts is coming. Who needs a social safety net?     You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.