Narcan nasal spray — the first Food and Drug Administration-approved nasal spray version of naloxone, a medication that reverses the side effects of an opioid overdose — has been made available at 96 Kroger locations across the state of Kentucky, according to WHAS 11.
"Kentucky being one of the top five states with respect to dealing with overdose situations with opiates, prescription opiates and addiction...we felt that we could play an integral role in combating this epidemic," Mohan Petchimuthu, clinical sales manager with Kroger Louisville, told WHAS 11.
Kroger has reportedly trained approximately 300 pharmacists to be able to educate customers on proper use.
Arlene Rice, a co-founder of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, a group that travels the state providing training to individuals comparable to that which Kroger pharmacists received, said, "We are delighted that it's more available and that the pharmacies are offering this without a prescription and that they are going to carry the medication especially for people who can just walk in and say no this is what I want."
When WHAS 11 inquired as to whether the medication would still be covered by insurance without a prescription, a spokesperson for Kroger said, "Naloxone coverage varies by insurance plan. Kroger pharmacists can process a Naloxone claim to a patients insurance and inform the patient what their out of pocket amount will be prior to dispensing the product."