Walgreens will soon carry an over-the-counter antidote for overdoses.
The nationwide chain of more than 8,000 pharmacies announced on Tuesday that customers in 45 states will be able to buy Narcan, a brand of the drug naloxone, without a prescription.
The firm will also provide demonstration devices, to teach customers in store how to use the medication, which comes as a nasal spray.
The move comes amid an intense push to control the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, which claimed 60,000 American lives last year – more than the death toll of the entire Vietnam war.
