FDA approves second opioid overdose reversal drug for OTC sales
RiVive is a nasal spray made of naxalone. Its functions are similar to those of Narcan, the first drug the agency approved to be sold without a prescription, less than six months ago.
The growing crisis of drug overuse deaths in the country prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve a second opioid overdose reversal medication for over-the-counter (OTC) sale without a prescription.
The agency issued a statement announcing that RiVive is a nasal spray made of naloxone hydrochloride that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and helps counteract a potentially fatal consequence:
The pharmaceutical company that manufactures it, Harm Reduction Therapeutics, will determine when the drug will be available and its cost:
Over-the-counter (OTC) sales give consumers the ease of purchasing the drug for nonprescription use while also allowing them to buy it online, at supermarkets and gas stations.
Narcan, the first drug approved only six months ago
The approval of RiVive comes just six months after the FDA approved (in March 2023) Narcan (another nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdose) for over-the-counter sales.
The approval of a second over-the-counter drug to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses highlights the nation's worsening drug abuse crisis. In the statement, the agency says it is taking these steps "to help facilitate access to opioid overdose reversal products and to decrease unnecessary exposure to opioids."