SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Soon people in Southern California, and across the country, could have better access to drugs that reverse the effects of an overdose.
On Wednesday, a panel of 10 Food and Drug Administration advisors unanimously recommended to all naloxone be sold over the counter.
"This underserved community, this is where we need it the most," said Ahmed Eldahmy, a pharmacist and the owner of Eldahmy Wellness Pharmacy in Barrio Logan.
Eldahmy says pharmacists have been familiar with naloxone for years, but successfully rolling it out over the counter will require ample education.
"We need to make sure not only the products are available but also the education and those who are willing to go out there and provide the help," said Eldahmy.
Shannon McDade's brother, Joe McDade, overdosed in San Diego in January.
McDade was clean for roughly nine months before his overdose.
According to his family, Joe was using heroin that was laced with fentanyl.
"They do believe it's fentanyl poisoning, that it wasn't his intent to buy fentanyl," said Shannon.
Last year when Shannon came to visit, she says Joe relapsed.
She went to a pharmacy to pick up Narcan, one of the brands of Naloxone but had to wait for a prescription to be filled and paid roughly $100 dollars for it after insurance.
"That was the only place I knew to go, and of course, I paid for it, you know. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my family but that was the first time I realized like, this isn't even accessible," said Shannon.
Eldahmy says the approval will likely bring down the cost of naloxone, which is roughly $250 dollars without insurance right now.
Some have argued by making naloxone more easily accessible, drug users will not be encouraged to seek help.
"When people actually start to talk about it, you realize, like, things like Narcan isn't pushing drug use, it's helping people who are ill," said Shannon.
The FDA will make a final decision on the drug in the coming weeks.
