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Naloxone available w/o prescription at Walgreens

Posted at 11:31 AM, Feb 22, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-22 11:31:44-05

Walgreens announced Monday that the heroin antidote Naloxone will be available without a prescription in all of its Ohio stores. 

This comes just weeks after CVS announced that it would start carrying the antidote in Ohio stores.

“By making naloxone available without a prescription, we are making it easier for Ohio families and caregivers to help their loved ones in need,” said Chris Creamer, Walgreens regional healthcare director in Ohio. “We are committed to making naloxone more accessible in the communities we serve.”

The antidote was already available at Walgreens locations in Cincinnati.

Naloxone has becoming increasingly available to the public in recent months as Ohio's heroin and opiate epidemic continues unabated. The drug is administered as an inhaler or with an injection and can reverse the breath suppression effects of opioids.

Ohio Department of Public Safety records show that naloxone was administered nearly 13,000 times around the state last year.