GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – University students could have more access to a lifesaving product soon.
Narcan could be available on pharmacy shelves in the next year if approved by the FDA.
This decision would make naloxone hydrochloride, an opioid overdose reversal nasal spray often sold under the brand name Narcan, more accessible across the country.
Prevea Health president and CEO Dr. Ashok Rai said it could save lives.
“The impact of the overdoses will hopefully be lessened by the ability to reverse that overdose with Narcan,” he said.
Narcan is already widely available for those willing to speak to a pharmacist to request a dose.
University of Wisconsin campuses have taken emergency measures to make it even more accessible.
In hopes of decreasing the possibility of deaths in their school communities.
The UW-Green Bay campus has Narcan available to students in multiple locations at no charge.
“Currently, we have Narcan available in a case that can easily be smashed and accessed by anybody in our housing units. We also have Narcan available in the wellness center to be administered by one of our providers,” said Amy Henniges, the Director of Health Services at the UWGB campus Wellness Center.
Kyle Charniak, a freshman at UWGB, believes that making the antidote more easily available would also make more students purchase it on their own.
“I don’t see how it could be a negative thing. I think it would help a lot of people.”
“I think it would help, I mean, you’d worry less about having to talk to the pharmacist about it and possibly being judged by them,” Charniak added.
Charniak said easy access to safety measures in case of an emergency is what’s important.
Those who find themselves in need of Narcan on the UWGB campus, the health services director says that they can also find it with the university police, on their person 24/7.
The UWGB Wellness Center explained that it’s here to help students make positive lifestyle changes with their choices.
Rai looked forward to accessibility increasing.
“Ideally, we want to make Narcan as available as possible.”
Access at the university includes licensed professional counselors, medical providers through Prevea Health, and nurses.
The Healthy Choices Task Force at UWGB is also sponsoring a Fentanyl Awareness Program for students on campus on March 7, providing education on the proper use of Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
