Effective immediately naloxone is available without a prescription in Canada.
Health groups across Canada have been clamouring for naloxone to be widely available in order to prevent deaths, following a flood of fatalities linked to street drugs containing fentanyl.
Take-home naloxone kits are available without a prescription, but must be administered through an injection. A nasal-spray form is not yet available in Canada.Take-home naloxone kits are available without a prescription, but must be administered through an injection. A nasal-spray form is not yet available in Canada.
Health Canada released the following notice:
The purpose of this Notice of Amendment is to notify that as a result of consultation Health Canada has revised the listing for naloxone on the Prescription Drug List (PDL). Health Canada has conducted a scientific review of naloxone against a set of established and publicly available criteria outlined in section C.01.040.3 of the Food and Drug Regulations.
The wording, which remains unchanged from what was proposed in the January 14, 2016 Notice of Consultation, is:
Drugs containing the following: Naloxone or its salts
Including (but not limited to): Naloxone hydrochloride
Qualifier: Except when indicated for emergency use for opioid overdose outside hospital settings
Effective Date: 2016-03-22
