Teva gets FDA approval for 1st generic nasal spray of overdose reversal drug

Israeli pharmaceutical company secures green light from US regulators for its version of Narcan

By LINDA A. JOHNSON 20 April 2019, 5:15 am

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A Narcan nasal device which delivers naloxone lies on a counter as a health educator gives instructions on how to administer it in Brooklyn, New York, July 3, 2018. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

AP — US regulators have approved the first generic nasal spray version of Narcan, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave the go-ahead to the naloxone spray from Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals.

Naloxone has been sold as a nasal spray in the US since 2016 under the brand name Narcan. Pharmacists can dispense it without a prescription. It is also sold as a generic or brand-name drug in automatic injectors, prefilled syringes and vials.

A pack of two Narcan nasal sprays cost about $130 to $150 without insurance. Teva didn’t immediately provide the product’s price or when it will be available; its offices were closed Friday.

More than 47,600 Americans died of opioid overdoses in 2017, a toll that has been rising for two decades.