Anti-overdose drug available without prescription

TAMPA (FOX 13) - A powerful anti-overdose drug used by first responders is now available at your neighborhood pharmacy, and you don't need a prescription.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, normalizes breathing during an overdose. It blocks opioids from receptors in the brain, essentially reversing the effects of an overdose.

A bill that Governor Rick Scott signed into law back in March, allowing the drug to be sold to the public, went into effect at the beginning of July. Nearly every state has passed similar laws over the past couple years.

CVS has the nasal form of the drug available at all of its Florida locations. One dose retails for $45.

You don't need a prescription, but you can't buy Naloxone over the counter either. The pharmacy needs to have a "standing order" from a physician. That means someone would have to have a conversation with the pharmacist before purchasing the drug.