SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State health officials say Utah pharmacies dispensed thousands of doses of the rescue medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.
The Deseret News reports about 4,275 doses of naloxone were distributed last year after the Utah Department of Health issued a standing order, allowing pharmacists to give out the medication without a prescription.
The department order was made possible by a law enacted by the state Legislature in 2016.
Department spokeswoman Jenny Johnson says the order did not require pharmacies to participate, but participants were required tell the state how much naloxone they dispensed as part of the program. 165 pharmacies participated in the program last year.
Naloxone can be administered with a needle injection or a nasal spray.