CVS Health to make opioid overdose-reversing drug more affordable for patients without insurance

CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) and Adapt Pharma (www.AdaptPharma.com) today announced a new partnership that will make the opioid overdose-reversing drug NARCAN® (Naloxone HCl) Nasal Spray more affordable for patients without insurance at CVS Pharmacy locations. Through this partnership, CVS Pharmacy patients purchasing NARCAN® Nasal Spray without insurance will receive a $35 discount coupon to purchase the medication, reducing the out-of-pocket cost by nearly 25 percent. NARCAN® Nasal Spray is the first and only FDA-approved, ready-to-use nasal formulation of naloxone for the emergency treatment of opioid overdose. NARCAN® Nasal Spray is available in a convenient box containing two units (each unit delivers a concentrated 4mg dose of active medication-naloxone hydrochloride- in a .1ml mist) for immediate use if the need arises.

"Having a ready-to-use dose of naloxone in a nasal spray device makes administration of this life-saving medication quick and easy for friends and families of loved ones struggling with addiction in an emergency overdose situation," said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Health. "Through this partnership with Adapt Pharma, NARCAN® Nasal Spray will be more affordable for CVS Pharmacy patients who don't have insurance. CVS Health is dedicated to helping communities address and prevent prescription drug abuse, which is why we have worked to increase access to the opioid overdose-reversal drug naloxone for patients. Using a physician's standing order or collaborative practice agreement, we have eliminated the need for patients to obtain a prescription for naloxone in 31 states across the country."

CVS Health's naloxone program establishes a standing order with a physician, which permits CVS Pharmacists to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription. By August 2016, CVS Health will make this life-saving medication more accessible to CVS Pharmacy patients in 31 states: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Virginia and Vermont.

CVS Health's commitment to help communities address and prevent drug abuse also includes drug abuse prevention education, outreach and access to safe medication disposal. Patients visiting CVS.com can find recently launched drug abuse prevention resources for themselves and their families. The company has also launched a community outreach program called Pharmacists Teach, which brings local pharmacists to high school health classes to talk to students about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 100,000 students have already been part of the program.

CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids for the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which has donated more than 600 drug disposal units to police departments around the country. The program gives members of the community a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication and has already collected more than 43 metric tons of prescription drugs. Members of the community can use a zip code locator at CVS.com to find the disposal unit closest to them.