[April 05, 2018] |
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Walgreens Supports Surgeon General's Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdose
In support of the advisory on naloxone and opioid overdose issued today
by U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, M.D., M.P.H., Walgreens issued
the statement below from President of Operations Richard Ashworth:
"We support Surgeon General Adams's advisory on the importance of
naloxone and efforts to make this life-saving medication easier for
families and caregivers to have available should it be needed. As a
pharmacy and as part of our overall efforts to combat the opioid
epidemic, we are committed to making naloxone easier to obtain and have
taken a number of steps to help curb the rise in overdose deaths."
Those steps include:
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Walgreens stocks Adapt Pharma's Narcan®, an FDA-approved
nasal form of naloxone, in all of its more than 8,000 pharmacies
nationwide. The medication, administered by nasal spray, can be used
in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of opioid drugs,
which include some prescription painkillers and heroin. Walgreens
pharmacists provide training and instructional handouts on how
administer the medication. Additional instructions include calling
911, as naloxone is not a substitute for medical care. Anyone who is
administered the medication should seek immediate medical attention.
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In addition, Walgreens has adopted Centers for Disease ontrol and
Prevention (CDC) recommendations to educate patients about Narcan when
they are dispensed a controlled substance greater than 50 morphine
milligram equivalents (MME) and may be at risk of accidental overdose.
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Walgreens has worked over the last two years to make naloxone
available without requiring a prescription in states where regulations
allow. The company now offers naloxone without requiring a
prescription in 46 states and continues to work to make the medication
easier to obtain in the remaining states.
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Walgreens also has collected more than 155 tons of unwanted
medications through its safe medication disposal kiosks in 600
pharmacies across 45 states and Washington D.C. The company is working
with other health care organizations to expand the kiosks to an
additional 900 Walgreens pharmacies. These kiosks allow individuals to
safely and conveniently dispose of unwanted prescriptions, including
controlled substances and over-the-counter medications, year-round at
no cost. By removing these medications from the home, individuals can
ensure medications are not accidentally used or intentionally misused
by someone else.
About Walgreens
Walgreens (walgreens.com),
a provider of trusted care in communities since 1901, is included in the
Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:
WBA), the first global pharmacy-led, health and wellbeing enterprise.
Approximately 8 million customers interact with Walgreens in stores and
online each day, using the most convenient, multichannel access to
consumer goods and services and trusted, cost-effective pharmacy, health
and wellness services and advice. Walgreens operates 8,100 drugstores
with a presence in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with its omnichannel business,
Walgreens.com. Approximately 400 Walgreens stores offer Healthcare
Clinic or other provider retail clinic services.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180405005525/en/
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