On Aug. 30, 2023, Emergent BioSolutions announced NARCAN^® Naloxone HCl Nasal Spray 4 mg will be available on shelves nationwide and online beginning in September. Over-the-counter (OTC) access to NARCAN^® Nasal Spray offers more people the ability to respond in an opioid emergency, helping to save lives and keep loved ones and communities safe. Expanding access and awareness is critical given the staggering toll of the epidemic mainly driven by synthetic opioids, like fentanyl. Last year, approximately every seven minutes one life was lost due to an opioid overdose, and today it is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. The average response time for emergency services to arrive is approximately 10 minutes. Having NARCAN^® Nasal Spray in a first-aid kit, or carrying it on the go in case of an opioid emergency, can make a difference and help reverse the effects of opioids while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.

With the same safe and effective 4 mg formulation, device design and original prescription strength, NARCAN^® Nasal Spray can reverse the effects of opioids, including fentanyl. Consumers can expect the life-saving treatment to be widely available at leading mass, drug, grocery and online retailers beginning in September. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of NARCAN^® Nasal Spray is $44.99
per carton, which is equivalent to roughly $22.50 per dose. While Emergent works with partners to help maintain access and affordability, the price of the product is set by individual retailers.

As a leader in the fight against the opioid crisis, Emergent has not raised the price of the product since its launch in 2016, and the company is focused on broadening distribution and maintaining affordability. To that end, Emergent has lowered its public interest price for NARCAN^® Nasal Spray to $41.00 per two-dose carton, effective August 31, 2023, building on its long-standing efforts with public interest partners to ensure naloxone is readily available to at-risk communities. Through federal grants and state and local government programs, many community organizations, first responders, and harm reduction groups can purchase NARCAN^® Nasal Spray and distribute it at no cost to them. These programs help ensure life-saving products are available in communities across the country, particularly those that may be unable to reach life-saving medical care quickly in emergencies. While the public interest distribution channels are vast, many qualified groups can continue to use Emergent’s online portal, NARCANDirect™, as one pathway to purchase and ship bulk quantities of NARCAN^® Nasal Spray to anywhere in the country.

According to a March 2023 report by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, almost 17 million doses of naloxone were distributed in the U.S. in 2021. More than 84 percent of those doses were distributed through channels such as local health departments, harm reduction organizations, first responders, schools, and other community organizations. Emergent recognizes the importance of these channels for naloxone access and will continue to support ongoing distribution to high-risk and underserved communities in need.

With the prescription approval of NARCAN^® Nasal Spray in 2015, Emergent has more than seven years of real-world safety data, and continues to evaluate trends across society, new opioid threats and is committed to doing its part in fighting the opioid epidemic.