CVS Health expands patient naloxone education efforts
CVS Health currently is expanding its efforts to educate its patients about naloxone while increasing access to the overdose reversal drug. The efforts are in-line with the Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone an Opioid Overdoses that the nation’s top doctor, Jerome Adams, released Thursday.
“Each day we lose 115 Americans to an opioid overdose that's one person every 12.5 minutes,” Adams said. “It is time to make sure more people have access to this lifesaving medication, because 77% of opioid overdose deaths occur outside of a medical setting and more than half occur at home.”
CVS Health said that its CVS Pharmacy locations would expand awareness and education efforts about the importance of naloxone in the coming months, with a focus on individuals who are at risk of an overdose. It also will work with Adapt Pharma, maker of Narcan Nasal Spray, to offer patients a coupon for the spray that’s available at CVS Pharmacy.
“CVS Health is dedicated to preventing and addressing opioid abuse in the communities we serve,” CVS Pharmacy vice president of professional services Thomas Davis said. “We are proud to support the Advisory issued by Surgeon General Adams by enhancing our ongoing efforts to educate patients about the life-saving importance of naloxone. We are also pleased to work with Adapt Pharmaceuticals to provide a coupon for Narcan nasal spray to CVS Pharmacy patients without insurance and we appreciate their partnership.”
These efforts come alongside the company’s other efforts around curbing opioid abuse and misuse, which include efforts from its CVS Caremark pharmacy benefits manager and the community engagement effort Pharmacists Teach. Through the program, which has educated more than 350,000 students, CVS pharmacists speak to local students and parents about the dangers of drug abuse.
“Each day we lose 115 Americans to an opioid overdose that's one person every 12.5 minutes,” Adams said. “It is time to make sure more people have access to this lifesaving medication, because 77% of opioid overdose deaths occur outside of a medical setting and more than half occur at home.”
CVS Health said that its CVS Pharmacy locations would expand awareness and education efforts about the importance of naloxone in the coming months, with a focus on individuals who are at risk of an overdose. It also will work with Adapt Pharma, maker of Narcan Nasal Spray, to offer patients a coupon for the spray that’s available at CVS Pharmacy.
“CVS Health is dedicated to preventing and addressing opioid abuse in the communities we serve,” CVS Pharmacy vice president of professional services Thomas Davis said. “We are proud to support the Advisory issued by Surgeon General Adams by enhancing our ongoing efforts to educate patients about the life-saving importance of naloxone. We are also pleased to work with Adapt Pharmaceuticals to provide a coupon for Narcan nasal spray to CVS Pharmacy patients without insurance and we appreciate their partnership.”
These efforts come alongside the company’s other efforts around curbing opioid abuse and misuse, which include efforts from its CVS Caremark pharmacy benefits manager and the community engagement effort Pharmacists Teach. Through the program, which has educated more than 350,000 students, CVS pharmacists speak to local students and parents about the dangers of drug abuse.