SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Pharmacists across Utah can now dispense an opioid anti-overdose drug to individuals without a prescription.
The Utah Department of Health issued an order on Thursday to allow the medication naloxone, marketed under the name Narcan, to be distributed in this manner.
Department of Health Executive Director Joseph Miner says the order is intended to increase access to the drug. He says opioid overdoses can be prevented and lives can be saved if the drug is more readily available.
Utah is ranked fourth in the country for drug overdose deaths. The Department of Health says that six Utah residents die each week from opioid overdoses.
Last year, 268 Utah residents died from prescription painkiller overdoses, 127 died from illegal opioids such as heroin, and 10 died from a combination of both.
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