More Michigan pharmacies may soon carry Narcan, which can reverse opioid overdoses, following federal action to increase access to the drug earlier this year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March approved Narcan (naloxone) for over-the-counter use.
Emergent BioSolutions, which manufactures Narcan, has already shipped thousands of kits, which are expected to hit the shelves soon. Narcan is only effective on overdoses caused by opioids such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), morphine, codeine and synthetic fentanyl.
Narcan usually takes 2 minutes to 3 minutes to work. Each dose contains 4 milligrams of the medicine, but multiple doses may be needed. The effects can last for as little as 20 minutes or up to two hours.