A Kinney Drugs location in Jefferson became the first drugstore in the country last week to sell NARCAN over the counter.
NARCAN is an anti-opioid drug administered as a nasal spray. It can stop a potentially deadly opioid overdose.
In March, the FDA agreed to let the drug manufacturer Emergent BioSolutions produce NARCAN for over-the-counter sale.
According to Kinney Drugs senior director of marketing Judy Cowden, the company's location in Clayton made the first over-the-counter NARCAN sale in the country on August 31.
"Kinney Drugs worked very hard with Emergent BioSolutions to expedite delivery of the product into our distribution centers so we could provide overnight delivery of the product to our stores," Cowden said.
The president of Kinney Drugs said in a press release that the company wants to make NARCAN more accessible to communities, especially as the opioid crisis continues to escalate with the rise of synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
According to the press release, any person of any age is allowed to buy NARCAN, without having a prescription or presenting ID. It costs $44.99 for two doses. The drug will cost the same at other pharmacies and grocery stores, like CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, which will also start carrying it within the next few weeks.