Battling a drug disaster, San Francisco desires Narcan out there at each pharmacy – MyStateline.com
OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press
46 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco could become the first city in the country to require every pharmacy within its borders to carry naloxone, a drug that reverses overdoses caused by fentanyl and other opioids, at all times.
San Francisco Supervisor Matt Dorsey will introduce a bill Tuesday that, if passed, would require every pharmacy to stock at least two nasal sprays containing the drug at all times or face fines.
The city has struggled for years with rampant fentanyl use and deadly drug overdoses, and is facing its deadliest year yet.
According to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, there were 647 accidental drug overdose deaths in San Francisco in 2022, and over 70% of those deaths were due to fentanyl.
In the first five months of 2023, there were preliminary reports of 346 overdose deaths in the city — an increase of more than 40% from the same period in 2022. More than 79% of those deaths were related to fentanyl, according to Fentanyl the doctor’s office.
Dorsey, a recovering meth addict, said he wants universal access to naloxone because the drug saves lives when it reaches an overdosed person in time.
“This is a matter of life and death, and this is a public health crisis not seen in San Francisco since the days of the AIDS crisis,” Dorsey said.
The wider availability of naloxone is considered a key strategy to address the nationwide drug overdose crisis that results in more than 100,000 deaths in the United States each year.
Narcan, the leading brand of naloxone nasal spray, is already available without a prescription in all 50 states, where state leaders have issued standing orders to pharmacists to sell the drug to anyone who asks for it. But not all pharmacies carry it.
Dorsey said a recent “secret shopper” survey conducted by the San Francisco Department of Health found that about 20% of San Francisco pharmacies do not stock naloxone, even though they are legally allowed to provide it on request.
In San Francisco, police officers, firefighters, and paramedics are trained to recognize an opioid overdose and wear Narcan. Many public libraries, social housing and clinics are also stocked with the drug.
“We want all San Franciscans, no matter where they live, no matter where they work, to be able to go to their pharmacy and have it. This action removes another barrier to everyone’s access to this life-saving drug,” he told Dr. Jeffrey Hom, Director of Population Behavioral Health at the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
Dorsey’s regulation would give pharmacies a three-day back-order period for back-ordering two boxes and would penalize violators from $250 to $1,000 per violation.
In March, the Federal Drug Administration approved the over-the-counter sale of Narcan nasal spray. According to Emergent BioSolutions of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the maker of Narcan, the drug will be available this way by late summer. Other brands of naloxone and injectable forms will not be available yet, but may be available soon.
Walgreens said naloxone is already available in all pharmacies in San Francisco.
“Walgreens believes that saving lives from fatal opioid overdoses is the shared responsibility of all public health stakeholders,” said Perry Han, regional vice president of Walgreens.
In May, Walgreens agreed to pay San Francisco nearly $230 million to settle claims that the pharmacy giant helped fuel the city’s opioid epidemic.
