Walgreens has begun selling a life-saving drug for heroin addicts, a move that has put the company under fire from some people.
Walgreens will now sell Narcan, a drug that treats opioid overdoses, in 45 states to people without a prescription, ABC7 reported Monday. A person can buy the drug for $135 for two doses if they don’t have insurance.
“We want it to be easily accessible to people during an emergency,” Ashlee Bow, a pharmacist, told ABC7, adding: “I think they can just breathe a little easier knowing that they have it on hand.”
Some people criticized the drug store chain, saying the drug is too expensive.
A Walgreens spokesperson explained to ABC7 why the drugs costs $135 to purchase: $125 is what Walgreen pays for the drug and Walgreens charges customers an additional $10 due to shipping costs.
“That’s an exorbitant fee. That will be a barrier,” said Lisa Lowe, the founder of the Heroin Action Coalition in Montgomery Countym Md. She always carries around Narcan because one of her family members is in danger of a drug overdose.
President Donald Trump declared a “public health emergency” over the country’s opioid crisis, telling the nation that it may take years or decades to adequately fix the situation.
“We have fought and won many battles and wars before and we will again,” Trump said Oct. 26.
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