WOONSOCKET, R.I., 2017-Nov-10 — /EPR Retail News/ — CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) announced today (November 9, 2017) that the opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone is now available without an individual prescription at all of the 77 CVS Pharmacy locations in Oklahoma, including those located inside Target stores. CVS Pharmacists will be able to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription under a statewide protocol giving pharmacists prescriptive authority to dispense naloxone.
“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by expanding access to this medication in our pharmacies in Oklahoma we can help save lives,” said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Services at CVS Pharmacy. “CVS Health is dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent prescription drug abuse and we are expanding access to naloxone to give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery.”
“In Oklahoma, more adults die of unintentional prescription drug overdoses than in car crashes,” said Congressman Markwayne Mullin. “Now, thanks to the passage of 21st Century Cures Act and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, law enforcement, physicians, and prescribers have more tools than ever to fight the opioid crisis. By making this lifesaving drug readily accessible to all Oklahomans, we can reverse the effects of drug overdose and prevent drug overdose tragedies in the future. Our fight against the opioid crisis does not end here, but it’s great to see a commonsense solution that will save the lives of thousands of Oklahomans each year. Just like seatbelts have helped significantly reduce car accident deaths, so will naloxone help reduce the lives tragically lost each year to drug overdose.”
Today’s naloxone announcement builds on CVS Health’s commitment to helping communities address and prevent prescription drug abuse by focusing on prevention and safe medication disposal. In 2015, CVS Health launched a community outreach program called Pharmacists Teach, which brings CVS pharmacists to local schools to talk to students about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 300,000 students across the U.S. have already taken part in the program. High school teachers and administrators can learn more about bringing Pharmacists Teach to their school at www.CVSHealth.com.
CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which has donated more than 800 units to police departments around the country, collecting more than 100 metric tons of unwanted medication. In September, CVS Health announced it would expand the program to 750 locations inside CVS Pharmacies by mid-2018, for a total of 1,550 safe medication disposal locations.
In that recent announcement, the company also said it would enhance opioid utilization management to align with the CDC Guideline for CVS Caremark PBM clients and members, complementing measures already in place. And, the CVS Health Foundation added a $2 million commitment to previous investments in mitigating prescription drug abuse with support for Community Health Centers providing medication-assisted treatment and other addiction recovery services.
With the addition of Oklahoma, CVS Pharmacy now dispenses naloxone to patients without an individual prescription in these 46 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,700 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with nearly 90 million plan members, a dedicated senior pharmacy care business serving more than one million patients per year, expanding specialty pharmacy services, and a leading stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, the company enables people, businesses and communities to manage health in more affordable and effective ways. This unique integrated model increases access to quality care, delivers better health outcomes and lowers overall health care costs. Find more information about how CVS Health is shaping the future of health at https://www.cvshealth.com.
Media Contact:
Erin Shields Britt
Corporate Communications
(401) 770-9237
Erin.Britt@CVSHealth.com
SOURCE: CVS Health