CVS to offer discount to the uninsured for anti-overdose drug

CVS Health will offer a discount on the anti-overdose drug Narcan to uninsured customers, the company announced Thursday.

CVS will apply a manufacturer’s coupon for Narcan nasal spray for patients without insurance. It will reduce the cost to $94.99, which the company said is the lowest price available for people without insurance.

The list price for a carton containing two nasal sprays is $125. Narcan is the branded name of naloxone, a potentially life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It is manufactured by Adapt Pharmaceuticals.  

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Narcan is the only FDA-approved naloxone nasal spray, but naloxone can also be distributed by an auto-injector, which is manufactured by Kaleo Pharmaceuticals.

CVS’s announcement coincided with a rare public health advisory from Surgeon General Jerome Adams calling on more Americans to carry naloxone.

Adams said increasing the availability of naloxone and expanding treatment services are key to helping manage opioid addiction and overdoses, which are killing more people per year than traffic accidents.

Many first responders carry naloxone, which comes in the form of an injection or a nasal mist. All states have passed laws aimed at increasing the drug’s availability, and in most states it can be requested at a pharmacy without a prescription.

CVS said its pharmacists will work to educate patients about the availability and importance of naloxone, and it will also inform patients through enhanced signage at the pharmacy counter and through CVS Pharmacy in-store radio.