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FDA approves over-the-counter Narcan: Here's what local experts say about it

After the FDA's approval of an over-the-counter Narcan spray, treatment centers and government agencies are gearing up for the release or more doses.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Last week, the FDA approved the first ever over-the-counter Narcan spray, which has many in the Midlands glad to have a new tool in the fight against the opioid epidemic.

Jimmy Mount with the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS) is breathing a sigh of relief as the Food and Drug Administration approved the first ever over-the-counter naloxone spray, known commonly as Narcan. It's an overdose reversal medication that he says saves countless lives.

"It's something that we have been looking forward to as a new, more expanded way of people accessing Narcan," Mount said.

That gratefulness is shared by Robbie Robertson at LRADAC, a drug abuse treatment facility in Columbia and Lexington. He says LRADAC believes Narcan is so important that they give it out to anyone, completely free. He adds Fentynal test trips are also available for the public.

"You hear about everything from the captains of industries to the student next-door. It's like nothing we've ever seen before," Robertson said.

Robertson says his team works on making sure the drug is in as many homes as possible. He sees the FDA's over-the-counter approval as crucial for the fight against the opioid epidemic.

"Because of the opioid epidemic numbers and the rising statistics, we try to tell everybody that you should have Narcan in your first aid kit, just to make it as available as possible because you never know when someone might overdose," Robertson said.

Mount says there is not yet a plan from the state for when Narcan will be in the hands of South Carolinians, but predicts that could be as early as the summer.

"The goal is to help the people who are having a problem with opioids, they are having an opioid disorder, to get them into treatment and get them into recovery, but you can't do that unless they're alive, so the main goal is to save lives," Mount said.

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