Ohio to make overdose reversal drug available in CVS Pharmacies

CVS Health announced this week that naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medicine, would be made available in all CVS Pharmacies across Ohio and that a prescription would not be necessary for the purchase of the product.

Michael Botticelli, the director of the White House National Drug Control Policy; Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Attorney General; and John Tharp, the Lucas County Sheriff, stood with CVS as they made their announcement at a Toledo press conference on Monday.

The hope is that naloxone will be a safe and effective way to reverse the effects of an overdose. By making the product available without the need of a prescription and to all Ohioans, CVS Health believes they can and will save lives. The White House echoed these sentiments and put an emphasis on this being the first step to stop opioid overdoses across the country.

CVS is also accentuating its Pharmacists Teach outreach program that teaches high school students about the risks of prescription drug abuse. More than 5,000 students have already taken part in the program across the United States.

Ohio joins 13 other states that have already made naloxone available in CVS Pharmacies. Naloxone will hit CVS shelves in late March.