WOONSOCKET, R.I., March 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health
(NYSE: CVS) announced today that CVS Pharmacy locations in four
additional states will dispense the opioid overdose reversal drug
naloxone to patients without an individual prescription. With the
addition of CVS Pharmacy locations in Arizona, Georgia, Iowa
and South Carolina, CVS Pharmacy
locations in 41 states are now able to increase access to the
life-saving medication. Georgia,
Iowa and South Carolina all allow pharmacists to
dispense naloxone under a standing order from a physician.
Arizona regulations give
pharmacists prescriptive authority to dispense the
medication.
"CVS Health is committed to addressing and preventing opioid
abuse in the communities we serve and increasing access to this
life-saving medication is an important part of that commitment,"
said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President
of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. "Naloxone is a
safe and effective antidote to opioid overdose and by expanding
availability of this medication, we can save lives and give more
people a chance to get the help they need for recovery."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), opioids – including prescription opioids and heroin – killed
more than 33,000 people in 2015, more than any year on record. At
the same time, a recent CVS Health/Morning Consult survey indicates
there is a significant need for increased awareness about the
availability of naloxone and its role in reversing potentially
fatal opioid overdoses. Less than half (46%) of those surveyed said
that they had heard of the drug, and awareness varied significantly
by geographic region. In the western and southern parts of the
country 38 percent and 40 percent of respondents, respectively, had
heard of naloxone compared to 50 percent in the Midwest and 63
percent in the
Northeast.
"Overuse and abuse of opioids is a public health epidemic," said
Georges C. Benjamin, MD, executive
director of the American Public Health Association. "Making
naloxone more widely available and accessible is a critical
component of a broader strategy to prevent overdose deaths. I
applaud CVS Health for its leadership."
CVS Health's work to expand access to naloxone builds on the
company's longstanding commitment to preventing prescription drug
abuse. The company's efforts to educate patients extend from
resources on CVS.com to educating youth in the community. The
company's Pharmacists Teach program, which connects CVS pharmacists
to local high school students, has reached more than 200,000
students across the country with a drug abuse prevention message.
The company has also worked to encourage proper disposal of
medications to prevent misuse or abuse. Through its Medication
Disposal for Safer Communities program, CVS Health has donated more
than 600 disposal units to local police departments, which have
collected more than 70 metric tons of unwanted
medication.
With the addition of these four states, CVS Pharmacy now
dispenses naloxone to patients without an individual prescription
in these 41 states: Alabama,
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, North
Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia and Wisconsin.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation
company helping people on their path to better health. Through its
more than 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical
clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million
plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving
more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty
pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D
prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and
communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways.
This unique integrated model increases access to quality care,
delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care
costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the
future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.
Media Contact:
Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com
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SOURCE CVS Health