How to get naloxone, the opioid overdose-reversing drug, in the Philadelphia region

Health officials and advocates in the Philadelphia region have long worked to get the opioid overdose-reversing drug naloxone into as many hands as possible — and now, advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are recommending even more expansive access to the drug, suggesting that it be sold from pharmacy shelves.

All 50 states have standing orders that allow anyone to obtain naloxone at a pharmacy counter without an individual prescription. In Philadelphia, where overdose rates are higher than in any other major city, health officials have pioneered efforts such as naloxone vending machines that dispense the drug for free. This year, New Jersey announced plans to offer it for no cost at pharmacies.

The FDA is likely to approve the new suggested regulations in a month, the Associated Press reported. If they are approved, naloxone would be able to be sold over the counter, like aspirin or ibuprofen.

Besides the standing orders in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, state and municipal officials have launched a number of initiatives to distribute free naloxone to anyone who needs it. Here’s what you need to know about how and where to get this lifesaving drug:

Standing orders — essentially a prescription that applies to everyone in the state — allow for anyone to get naloxone at a pharmacy counter, without a prescription that’s made out to the person.

Still, advocates for policies that reduce the harmful consequences of addiction have warned that pervasive stigma around opioid use still makes it difficult for some people even to ask a pharmacist for the medication. In Philadelphia, harm-reduction advocates have reported hearing from parents who want to keep naloxone on hand for children with addiction — but who are worried their neighbors might overhear them requesting it at their pharmacy.

With insurance, naloxone typically costs $20 to $40; in Pennsylvania, a naloxone copay assistance program can help cover those costs with a reimbursement of up to $75. Without insurance, the AP reports, the drug costs about $50, and national health officials hope that selling it on shelves might decrease costs.

Naloxone in a nasal spray form is the most common version of the drug. Last year, Pennsylvania also issued a second standing order that covered a form of naloxone that can be injected into a muscle.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey have regularly held free naloxone distribution days at pharmacies and other locations over the last several years. In his State of the State address this year, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that the state would become the first in the nation to allow any pharmacy in the state to offer free naloxone at all times.

NEXT Distro, a national harm-reduction organization, has partnered with communities across the country — including in the Philadelphia region — to send free naloxone through the mail. At the organization’s website, you can click on your state to find local harm-reduction resources and to request that naloxone be mailed to you.

In 2022, Philadelphia placed a naloxone vending machine at the Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 52nd and Sansom Streets. The machine, which contains 22 doses of naloxone, can be accessed for free and was the first of its kind in a major American city, health officials said.

A number of harm-reduction programs distribute free naloxone around the Philadelphia region.

Prevention Point Philadelphia, the city’s only brick-and-mortar syringe exchange, offers naloxone for free during business hours, Monday through Friday, at the organization’s headquarters at 2913 Kensington Ave. Other organizations handing out naloxone include Savage Sisters, Operation in My Backyard, and the Everywhere Project.

NEXT Distro maintains a map of syringe exchanges in New Jersey that distribute naloxone. The state also partners with three harm-reduction programs for regionwide naloxone distribution, in Neptune, Rockaway, and Camden.