Patient education program aligns with Surgeon General's Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose
CVS Health also working with Adapt Pharma® to provide a coupon for NARCAN® nasal spray to CVS Pharmacy patients without insurance for the lowest price available on the market
WOONSOCKET, R.I., April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) said today that the company will further expand its ongoing efforts to educate patients about, and increase access to, the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone consistent with the Surgeon General's Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose, issued by Surgeon General, Dr. Jerome M. Adams today.
"Each day we lose 115 Americans to an opioid overdose that's one person every 12.5 minutes," said Surgeon General Adams. "It is time to make sure more people have access to this lifesaving medication, because 77 percent of opioid overdose deaths occur outside of a medical setting and more than half occur at home."
Over the coming months, CVS Pharmacy will expand patient education and awareness efforts about the importance of naloxone, particularly for at-risk individuals, consistent with the Surgeon General's Advisory. The company also announced that CVS Pharmacy will accept and automatically apply a coupon for NARCAN® nasal spray for patients without insurance. The resulting out of pocket cost of $94.99 is the lowest net price available on the market for patients without insurance. NARCAN® nasal spray is the only FDA approved nasal administration of naloxone.
"CVS Health is dedicated to preventing and addressing opioid abuse in the communities we serve," said Thomas G. Davis, R.Ph., Vice President, Professional Services, CVS Pharmacy. "We are proud to support the Advisory issued by Surgeon General Adams by enhancing our ongoing efforts to educate patients about the life-saving importance of naloxone. We are also pleased to work with Adapt Pharmaceuticals to provide a coupon for NARCAN® nasal spray to CVS Pharmacy patients without insurance and we appreciate their partnership."
The expansion of efforts to educate patients about naloxone builds on the industry-leading work CVS Health announced last fall to address and prevent opioid abuse, including expanding access to safe medication disposal and limiting acute opioid prescriptions to a seven day supply.
CVS Health has long worked to expand community access to naloxone by establishing a standing order or similar protocol at CVS Pharmacy locations in 46 states. This protocol allows patients to obtain naloxone at the pharmacy counter without having to first obtain an individual prescription from a physician. As part of the expansion of patient education efforts being announced today, the company will enhance signage to educate patients about naloxone at the pharmacy counter and through CVS Pharmacy in-store radio. CVS pharmacists will also enhance counseling for patients, particularly for patients with higher doses of prescription opioids, about the availability and importance of naloxone.
CVS Health has also established a community outreach program called Pharmacists Teach, through which CVS pharmacists speak to students and parents at schools in their local area about the dangers of abusing prescription drugs. Already, more than 350,000 students have participated in the program.
About CVS Health
CVS Health is a pharmacy innovation company helping people on their path to better health. Through its more than 9,800 retail locations, more than 1,100 walk-in medical clinics, a leading pharmacy benefits manager with more than 94 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