Repost of a Dallas Morning News Article Published Online May 19, 2019
With opioid-related deaths on the rise each year in the U.S., Texas has become the first state to offer a life-saving overdose drug online, freeing users of the stigma associated with drug use.
James Lott (Twitter)
Last week, Texas began offering naloxone, an opioid antagonist, for purchase online. Experts say the drug reverses opioid overdoses and is not addictive.
The website, naloxoneexchange.com, is the brainchild of James Lott, 33, a Chicago pharmacist who hoped removing the stigma from the purchase and increasing accessibility online would allow anyone to prepare for the worst.
“We’re focused on social benefit,” Lott said. “This is going to change lives and expand access to people all over the country.”
Texas is a sort of pilot state for Fiduscript’s Naloxone Exchange, which intends to launch in other states in a few months, though there is no hard timeline yet, Lott said.
The expansion to other states is complicated by different guidelines and requirements and by the various times when each state granted approval to Fiducript to pursue its online purchasing model.
To date, the company has secured direct or indirect approvals from 25 states including Texas. Lott says the goal is to expand to all 50.
In many states, the review process is made easier by a standing order, which allows people to obtain naloxone without a prescription from a doctor. That doesn’t make it an over-the-counter drug, but it allows trained pharmacists to sell it on the spot instead of requiring a doctor’s visit.
In Texas, that means people who suffer from opioid abuse or need the drug for their loved ones could obtain naloxone at any trained pharmacy location.
Texas Becomes First State to Offer Online Naloxone Sales
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Posted: May 30, 2019 by drmoea
Repost of a Dallas Morning News Article Published Online May 19, 2019
With opioid-related deaths on the rise each year in the U.S., Texas has become the first state to offer a life-saving overdose drug online, freeing users of the stigma associated with drug use.
Last week, Texas began offering naloxone, an opioid antagonist, for purchase online. Experts say the drug reverses opioid overdoses and is not addictive.
The website, naloxoneexchange.com, is the brainchild of James Lott, 33, a Chicago pharmacist who hoped removing the stigma from the purchase and increasing accessibility online would allow anyone to prepare for the worst.
“We’re focused on social benefit,” Lott said. “This is going to change lives and expand access to people all over the country.”
Texas is a sort of pilot state for Fiduscript’s Naloxone Exchange, which intends to launch in other states in a few months, though there is no hard timeline yet, Lott said.
The expansion to other states is complicated by different guidelines and requirements and by the various times when each state granted approval to Fiducript to pursue its online purchasing model.
To date, the company has secured direct or indirect approvals from 25 states including Texas. Lott says the goal is to expand to all 50.
In many states, the review process is made easier by a standing order, which allows people to obtain naloxone without a prescription from a doctor. That doesn’t make it an over-the-counter drug, but it allows trained pharmacists to sell it on the spot instead of requiring a doctor’s visit.
In Texas, that means people who suffer from opioid abuse or need the drug for their loved ones could obtain naloxone at any trained pharmacy location.
Source: http://bit.ly/2YUzhYw
Category: Blog Tags: dallas morning news, naloxone, opioids, texas