The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday approved selling naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, over-the-counter without a prescription.
According to ABC News, this is the first-ever opioid treatment to be sold over-the-counter and could become available on a wide scale in pharmacies as soon as this summer.
AP reports that this move will make Narcan more easily accessible; pharmacies were previously allowed to sell the drug because officials in every state have allowed it, but many pharmacies do not have access to naloxone in any form.
The makers of Narcan, Emergent BioSolutions, have not yet stated publicly how much the drug will cost or whether insurance will cover it.
Narcan is used in emergency cases to reverse the effects of opioids and is commonly used to revive patients who have overdosed.
The FDA previously met in February to discuss making Narcan available in pharmacies.