Includes more than 300 pharmacies
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 2, 2016) — A website launched today includes a map of more than 300 pharmacies across the state where people can obtain naloxone, often sold under the brand name Narcan. Naloxone is a prescription medication that can prevent an opioid overdose from turning fatal.
The Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy developed KyStopOverdoses.ky.gov in partnership with the Advancing Pharmacy Practice in Kentucky Coalition, the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy and the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy.
Most of the pharmacies on the map can prescribe and dispense the medication through a collaborative agreement with a physician, said Van Ingram, executive director for the Office of Drug Control Policy.
Kentucky Justice Secretary John Tilley, who helped author legislation last year to expand access to naloxone, said Kentucky is continuing to foster innovative strategies as it confronts a nationwide drug scourge.
Naloxone works by blocking the effects of opioids on the brain, helping an overdose victim return to normal breathing. For years, hospitals and first responders have used it as an effective antidote in overdoses involving prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl.
The medication can be injected into a muscle or applied as a nasal spray – either by a first responder or a friend or family member of the victim. It has no potential for abuse and remains harmless when given to a person who has not ingested opioid drugs.
Since June 2015, the Advancing Pharmacy Practice in Kentucky Coalition has trained nearly 1,500 pharmacists, and close to 1,200 have been certified to dispense naloxone without an individual doctor’s prescription, according to Dr. Trish Freeman, Director of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Practice at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy.
In addition to information on naloxone, the website also provides testimonials, instructions on how to respond to an overdose and material on two Kentucky laws related to overdoses.
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