WOONSOCKET, R.I., Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health
(NYSE: CVS) today announced it has expanded access to the opioid
overdose-reversal drug naloxone in Alabama, Alaska, Illinois, Missouri and West
Virginia, allowing CVS Pharmacy patients to access the
medication without an individual prescription. In total, CVS
Pharmacy patients in 36 states now have increased access to the
life-saving opioid overdose-reversal drug. CVS Health's
naloxone program establishes a standing order with a physician in
the state or utilizes pharmacists' prescriptive authority to permit
CVS Pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients without an
individual prescription. Pharmacists in these five states
began dispensing the medication this week.
"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," said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice
President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. "By
establishing a physician-authorized standing order that allows our
pharmacies to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual
prescription, we strengthen our commitment to helping the
communities we serve begin to address the challenges of
prescription drug abuse."
"Expanding access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone is a
critical part of our national strategy to stop the prescription
drug and heroin overdose epidemic – along with effective
prevention, treatment, and enforcement," said Michael Botticelli,
Director of National Drug Control Policy. "Thanks to efforts on
naloxone like those announced today by CVS Health, more Americans
will have access to this lifesaving drug."
The move to expand access to naloxone builds on CVS Health's
longstanding commitment to help communities address and prevent
drug abuse through education, outreach and safe medication
disposal. CVS Health's commitment to drug abuse prevention
education extends from online resources launched for patients
visiting CVS.com to two robust youth prevention programs.
Launched last year, CVS Health's Pharmacists Teach program gives
its pharmacists the opportunity to volunteer to speak to high
school health classes about the dangers of drug abuse. More than
100,000 students have already been part of the program.
Recently, the company also announced a partnership with
DoSomething.org to create a peer-to-peer prevention and
intervention program delivered to young people via text message and
online.
CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free
Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities
Program, which has donated more than 600 drug disposal units to
police departments around the country. The program gives members of
the community a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of
unwanted medication and has already collected more than 47 metric
tons of prescription drugs.
"CVS Health has been a leader in the work of helping communities
prevent prescription drug abuse," said Marcia Lee Taylor, President and CEO,
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. "In addition to proper disposal of
unwanted medication, increasing access to naloxone is a critical
public health priority that allows patients and their families to
prevent opioid fatalities and recognize when people need help
working towards recovery from the disease of addiction."
With the addition of the five new states where CVS Pharmacy
locations began dispensing naloxone to patients without a
prescription this week, CVS Pharmacy locations in the following 36
states now offer naloxone: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New
Hampshire, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, North
Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia and Wisconsin. CVS Health also plans to
further expand its naloxone program to other states in the coming
months.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on
their path to better health. Through its more than 9,600 retail
pharmacies, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading
pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 80 million plan members, a
dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one
million patients per year, and expanding specialty pharmacy
services, 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