On Monday, Governor Newsom announced a new partner under CalRx’s Naloxone Access
Initative, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which has secured U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an
over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone nasal spray product. As a result,
the state will now be able to purchase CalRx-branded OTC naloxone
for $24 per twin-pack, almost half of the current market price.
With this lower price, California will now be able to purchase
1.2 million more twin-packs of naloxone than at the previous
price to support the
Naloxone Distribution Project (NDP).
NDP aims to curtail the opioid crisis by reducing opioid overdose
deaths through the distribution of free naloxone to qualifying
organizations in the state, which includes county public health
and behavioral health agencies, schools, first responders, and
community organizations. NDP has distributed more than 4.1
million naloxone kits, resulting in more than 260,000 reported
opioid overdose reversals. The CalRx Naloxone Access Initiative
will build on those efforts by making OTC naloxone nasal spray
more accessible and affordable, especially for low-income,
uninsured, or underinsured individuals.
