a major step in combating the Nationwide opioid crisis a panel of experts at the Food and Drug Administration is recommending that Narcan on nasal spray used to reverse opioid overdoses be sold over the counter without a prescription Public Health experts have long said a move like this could be critical to ending the opioid overdoses that have killed more than a hundred thousand Americans in the last year and just shy of three thousand in New Jersey alone the Murphy Administration recently announced a Statewide program that will make Narcan available for free and anonymously at participating pharmacies a spokesperson says if approved a federal program would add to the initiative here where nearly 150 pharmacies have already agreed to participate if the FDA gives the green lie Narcan could potentially be available in vending machines supermarkets and even big box stores by this summer for more I'm joined by Dr Lewis Nelson an expert in overdose and addiction management and chair of emergency medicine at Rutgers New Jersey medical school Dr Nelson this is perhaps one of the strongest moves we've seen from the government to combat this rise in opioid overdose deaths what's your reaction to this recommendation this is very good news you know making the drug naloxone accessible and in the hands of people who are at the scene of an event an overdose event is going to change the entire way that the events are handled we're going to be able to respond quickly and easily we're not going to have to go look for a naloxone people are going to be able to have it on their person when they need it how does this differ though from what New Jersey recently announced though not yet in effect where folks can anonymously without a prescription obtain this drug what's different about this method well it's not totally clear at how it's going to work so one of the questions is that because the drug will be federally available on a non-prescription basis it will be not just New Jersey that's affected but it'll be the entire country it the one of the things I'm not clear about which clearly nobody knows yet is whether this will be over-the-counter meaning stocked on the shelves or behind the counter meaning you have to ask the pharmacist for it or locked in a Plexiglas cage like razor blades are and things like that if it shows up on the Shelf like acetaminophen or Ibuprofen does you'll be able to walk and pick it up no questions asked if you have to ask a pharmacist like you currently do it will be an extra step but it you know again it's on it's unclear how that's going to work out the other advantage of having something over the counter and because there are now generics available means the price should come down uh it's still not free uh in many places so there's going to be a cost associated with but the cost of over-the-counter non-prescription um and generic medications is typically lower well and certainly with a drug like this where it can take a few doses to reverse an overdose that cost will be uh crucial I'm wondering though if you have any concerns about if it does end up behind the counter we know that there's stigma involved with all of this but particularly with folks you know who want to ask to have this medication on hand well that's what it's like now you know it's just one step better than having to have a prescription and going and use your insurance or hay out in you know cash or credit card uh a large amount of money that most people don't have you know this is a drug that's often needed by people who don't have the means to afford it so the lower the price and the more accessible the better off will be will it remove stigma completely no of course not but it will definitely take the edge off of the current process in order to get the drug given what we've seen doctor with the spike with the prevalence of fentanyl is it something that you'd recommend families have on hand once it becomes available like acetaminophen like ibuprofen you never know who uses opioids the more accessible it is the better off you will not be able to run to a pharmacy and get it in time in most cases you have to have it on you or somewhere nearby Dr Lewis Nelson for us thanks so much my pleasure anytime