Gov. John Carney has signed into law Senate Bill 48 to expand community access to the drug naloxone by making it possible for pharmacists to dispense the antidote without an individual prescription.
Naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdoses, will be available at the pharmacy counter in participating pharmacies to anyone who is educated on its appropriate use and signs an acknowledgement form.
The bill signing took place at a CVS pharmacy in Dover. The law ensures pharmacists can dispense naloxone responsibly without legal, criminal, or disciplinary adverse actions due to injuries or death sustained in connection with administering the drug.
State Sen. Bryan Townsend and Rep. David Bentz sponsored Senate Bill 48, and the legislation passed the General Assembly with unanimous support.
“Increasing our ability to prevent overdose deaths is vital to our response to the addiction epidemic,” said Carney. “Naloxone can give people a second chance to get medical care and be connected to resources to treat their addiction. Signing this legislation empowers pharmacists to join the fight against opioid overdoses and save more lives. Thank you to Senator Townsend, Representative Bentz and all members of the General Assembly for their leadership on this issue.”
A current standing medical order allows for dispensing of naloxone to be administered via auto-injector and intranasal and intramuscular routes.
Dr. Karyl Rattay, Director of the Division of Public Health, will issue a revised standing order in September following Medical Board approval, allowing pharmacists at participating pharmacies to dispense an additional form of the intranasal naloxone which should be available in October 2017.
Naloxone was administered in Delaware 1,535 times in 2016 and 866 times in the first half of 2017.
Within three to five minutes after administration, naloxone can counteract the life-threatening respiratory depression of an opioid-related overdose and stabilize a person’s breathing which buys time for emergency medical help to arrive.
DPH recommends calling 9-1-1 immediately if you find someone in the midst of a suspected overdose, starting rescue breathing, and then administering naloxone. Naloxone is not a replacement for emergency medical care and seeking immediate help is still vital.
All CVS Pharmacy locations in Delaware will begin to dispense naloxone to patients under the Public Health Standing Order later this summer.
For more information on administering naloxone, accessing treatment resources in Delaware, or to learn about the signs of addiction, visit the newly updated Help is Here website at www.HelpIsHereDE.com
