OHIO — In March 2020, Cathy Lawley says she experienced every mother’s worst nightmare when she got a call that her son had died from a drug overdose.
“He died from Carfentanil, which is an elephant tranquilizer and an analog of fentanyl, much worse than fentanyl being 100,000 times more potent than morphine,” said Lawley.
Lawley tells News 5’s Remi Murrey her son had Narcan inside his home, and the drug saved him twice in the past.
But this last time, she says he was found too late.
Still, she understands how Narcan helped him before, so, she says she’s relieved to hear the FDA is expanding access to prevent further deaths.
“That is progress. Little progress, but it’s progress,” said Lawley.
On Wednesday, the FDA approved selling naloxone, also known as Narcan, without a prescription.
Experts like Beth Zietlow-DeJesus, from the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County, say this makes Narcan the first opioid treatment drug to be sold over the counter.
“I think it's wonderful,” Zietlow –Jesus said. “We've been advocating for increased access to naloxone for many years. We know that anyone using a substance now may have a substance that is tainted with fentanyl.”
Other supporters of the FDA’s move agree, saying it’s a step in the right direction.
They say this access will help different groups of people, including those who are already taking prescription opioids for cancer treatment.
Yet at the same time, Dennis Cauchon from Harm Reduction Ohio and Lawley tell News 5’s Remi Murrey it could create some barriers.
“They only made brand-name Narcan, which is the most expensive, available. They should make all versions of naloxone available over the counter because the cheaper versions now you can only buy with a prescription,” said Cauchon.
Cauchon says his organization will continue passing out free Narcan to people who can’t afford it.
However, he says he’s still curious about this: “A real question that hasn't been answered is, insurance companies usually don't cover over-the-counter drugs. Will they stop covering it and force...individuals to pay for it all? That is something that we'll probably find out in the next few weeks."
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