Naloxone Available at Rite Aid Pharmacies in 19 States
April 19 2018 - 2:33PM
Business Wire
Increased Access is One of Several Steps Taken
by Rite Aid to Address Drug Abuse & Misuse in Country
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) announced today that naloxone,
a medication that can be used to reverse the effects of an opioid
overdose, is available at each of the more than 2,500 Rite Aid
pharmacies in the United States and can be dispensed without a
prescription, subject to state regulations.
“The opioid epidemic has reached epic proportions and it is an
issue that demands not only our attention but also our continued
action to help reduce the rise in opioid deaths,” said Jocelyn
Konrad, Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy. “For the
past two years, we’ve worked with state and federal lawmakers to
increase access to this life-saving medication. We support the
Surgeon General’s recent Advisory on the importance of naloxone and
are committed to offering it to our customers in all of the
communities we serve.”
Rite Aid pharmacists have been provided with additional training
to dispense naloxone and to provide counseling to patients who
purchase the medication. All Rite Aid pharmacies in the following
states stock naloxone: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
Idaho, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Vermont, Virginia and Washington. To locate the nearest Rite Aid
pharmacy, visit www.riteaid.com.
In addition to increasing access to naloxone, additional
measures taken by Rite Aid as part of its efforts to address drug
abuse and misuse in the country include:
- Support of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline for prescribing opioids.
This includes limiting acute opioid prescriptions to a seven day
supply, limiting the daily dosage of opioids dispensed based on the
strength of the opioid and requiring the use of immediate-release
formulations of opioids before extended release opioids are
dispensed.
- On-going education and training of Rite
Aid pharmacists, including risk factors for opioid abuse, how to
identify symptoms of an overdose and what to do in the event of an
overdose, an overview of the various naloxone therapies available
and proper administration of each and recommendations for follow-up
care.
- Participation in prescription drug
monitoring programs including a “red flag” process for pharmacists
to regularly review prescriptions for patients not known by the
pharmacy or where there may be concerns or suspicions of misuse and
the implementation of a process to identify and discontinue filling
prescriptions from prescribers with questionable writing
practices.
- Increased patient education efforts:
all patients receiving opioid prescriptions receive a handout on
opioid use, safe storage, disposal and proper use of naloxone and
all patients with new opioid prescriptions will receive mandatory
counseling on their prescription from Rite Aid pharmacists.
- The addition of resources on drug
safety and disposal on www.riteaid.com. Visitors can search
for a disposal site in their community, learn how to properly
dispose of medication at home, access resources provided by the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and find information on treatment for drug
abuse and addiction.
- Support of National Take-Back Days,
including the next national event on April 28, by encouraging
patients to bring their unused or unwanted medications to one of
the designated sites sponsored by local law enforcement and the
DEA.
Rite Aid’s pharmacy benefits management company,
EnvisionRxOptions, currently utilizes a variety of customized
opioid management solutions. This month, EnvisionRxOptions will be
launching a standard opioid utilization management program for all
of its clients, unless the client chooses to opt out. This program
is based on the CDC guidelines and focuses on prior authorizations
to address seven-day limits for patients who are new to therapy,
limitations based on opioid strength and opioid formulation.
In addition to the efforts taken by the Company, The Rite Aid
Foundation is also addressing the issue of drug abuse and misuse as
part of its commitment to creating safe and healthy environments
for children and teens.
In March, The Rite Aid Foundation’s KidCents program announced a
three-year, $1.125 million commitment to EverFi, the nation's
leading technology innovator, to bring the Prescription Drug Safety
program to high schools in markets served by Rite Aid. The program
uses an evidence-based, public health approach to empower high
school students with the skills and knowledge they need to make
safe and healthy decisions about prescription drugs. The
program launched in Pittsburgh and will be introduced to additional
markets in Pennsylvania as well as several communities in Ohio,
Oregon and Washington this year.
The Rite Aid Foundation’s Safe Medication Disposal Program,
funded by KidCents, also continues to expand. Launched in September
2017, the program provides law enforcement agencies in communities
served by Rite Aid with free medication disposal units for
individuals to safely dispose of expired or unwanted prescription
and over-the-counter medications. As of this month, more than 150
law enforcement agencies across the country participate in the
KidCents Safe Medication Disposal Program, with more than 230 units
available in 18 states.
Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading
drugstore chains with fiscal 2018 annual revenues of $21.5 billion.
Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and
press releases, is available through the company's website at
www.riteaid.com.
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Rite AidAshley Flower, 717-975-5718
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