FDA Advisory Panel Recommends Prescribing Naloxone in Conjunction with Opioids

December 18, 2018 – A U.S. FDA advisory panel has voted 12-11 in favor of prescribing naloxone concurrently with opioid painkillers. A reversal drug available under various brand names and as a generic, naloxone has gained significant attention in the media for its potential to save the lives of individuals who have overdosed on opioids.

Under the recommendation, drug labels for prescription opioids would include a recommendation for co-prescribing naloxone. Some panel members feel that this will aid prescribers and patients in addressing the risks of opioid addiction and overdose. Others have expressed concerns over the potential expense of co-prescribing (estimated at as much as $63.9 billion per year), and that the measure does not target the population most at risk of an opioid overdose.

Naloxone is available without an individual prescription in more than 40 U.S. states. Some, such as Pennsylvania and Missouri, have offered programs that allow individuals to obtain the drug without paying any out-of-pocket costs in an effort to combat the opioid epidemic. Naloxone is also often prescribed through pain clinics and addiction treatment centers.