Study reveals barriers to obtaining overdose-reversing drug naloxone in pharmacies, especially for teens

MANHASSET, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A study conducted through The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and led by Andrew Adesman, MD, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Northwell Health's Cohen Children's Medical Center, found that pharmacies nationwide need to improve access to the drug naloxone, especially for teenagers who use opioids and are at risk of overdose or are in contact with someone at risk of an opioid overdose, according to a paper published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. 

Naloxone, which is commonly sold as a nasal spray known as Narcan, is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent overdoses by opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone, by blocking opioid receptor sites, thereby reversing the drug's toxic effects.

The primary sample group in Dr. Adesman's study included 120 pharmacies in the 10 states with the highest number of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016. Pharmacies in the two states with the highest prevalence of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016 were also contacted.

The results were clearly discouraging. Approximately 20 percent of pharmacies did not have naloxone immediately available. Of greater concern was the finding that nearly half of the employees questioned had incorrect information regarding a minimum age requirement to buy the drug. These are important findings, according to Dr. Adesman, because studies have consistently shown that increasing access to naloxone is associated with a reduction in fatal opioid overdoses.

"We are well aware that fatal opioid overdoses decrease with increased access to naloxone," said Dr. Adesman. "That's why the findings of this study are so disturbing. Our young people must be given the proper information about their ability to purchase naloxone without a prescription in hand, costs at the time of purchase, as well as access. If they don't have the right information, they may just stop trying to buy this life-saving drug. In the case of youngsters who recognize the signs of an overdose and might wish to administer naloxone to save a life, it's vital that we make policies concerning its availability perfectly clear."

About the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York
Founded in 1983, Cohen Children's Medical Center is a 202-bed hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children. The specialists in the hospital's national and international programs cover an entire range of specialties. State-of-the-art care for children's medical, surgical, and dental needs are provided in both inpatient and outpatient settings. The facility is the largest provider of pediatric health services in New York State, serving 1.8 million children in Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For the 12th consecutive year in 2018, Cohen's was ranked among the nation's best children's hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's 2018-19 "America's Best Children's Hospitals" survey, achieving top-50 rankings in eight of 10 pediatric specialties.

About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York. Home to 50 research labs, 2,500 clinical research studies and 4,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes is raising the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We're making breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we're producing knowledge to cure disease, visit feinstein.northwell.edu.

Contact: Matthew Libassi                     
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SOURCE Northwell Health