Newsom makes $24 generic Narcan obtainable to all Californians
SACRAMENTO — California residents at the moment are eligible to purchase naloxone — the generic drug for Narcan, a drug used to deal with opioid overdoses — for $24 via the state’s prescription web site CalRx model, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s workplace stated in a launch Monday.
“Life-saving drugs shouldn’t include a life-altering price ticket. CalRx is about making important medicine like naloxone reasonably priced and accessible for all — not the privileged few,” Newsom stated within the launch.
Naloxone is an easy-to-use nasal spray remedy that reverses drug overdoses and may save lives. The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention says that anybody who’s liable to overdose, or is aware of somebody who could also be in danger, ought to carry naloxone in case of an emergency.
Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced that twin-packs of CalRx-branded over-the-counter naloxone HCL 4 milligram nasal spray at the moment are obtainable to all Californians for $24 per carton, virtually half the usual market worth.
(Governor’s press workplace)
The transfer expands a program launched final 12 months that made naloxone obtainable for eligible organizations resembling nonprofits, universities and first responders in massive portions at no cost. The state pays $24 per two-dose unit, down from $41 charged by earlier suppliers, and has saved $17 million since Might 2024 based on its financial savings tracker.
Preliminary information via June 2024 confirmed a lower in artificial opioid overdose deaths in California for the primary time since 2018, Newsom’s workplace stated. Though the lower couldn’t be contributed to at least one issue, it stated, a complete effort to sort out the disaster involving fentanyl and different opioids appears to be making a distinction.
The statewide lower mirrors a plateau in overdose deaths amongst unhoused individuals in Los Angeles County as public well being officers ramped up the distribution of naloxone final 12 months.
A part of Newsom’s plan to handle the opioid disaster included placing naloxone in center and excessive faculties throughout the state, together with making it extensively accessible for a low worth via CalRx. A invoice Newsom signed final 12 months might require workplaces to inventory naloxone in first support kits by 2028.
Newsom hopes to make use of CalRx to provide generic variations of insulin, naloxone and different medicine for an at-cost worth, he introduced in 2023 alongside a $50-million contract with a nonprofit producer. Regardless of years-long setbacks on a number of healthcare initiatives and anticipated Medicaid cuts from the Trump administration, the governor nonetheless guarantees to make generic insulin obtainable for $30.
