Health experts back selling anti-overdose drug over the counter

Health advisers are weighing whether the overdose-reversal drug, Narcan, should be made available as an over-the-counter medication to help fight the national opioid crisis (Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/AP)

The overdose-reversing drug naloxone should be made available over the counter to aid the national response to the opioid crisis, US health chiefs have advised.

The panel of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts voted unanimously in favour of the proposals after a full day of presentations and discussions on whether untrained users would be able to safely and effectively use the nasal spray in emergencies.