CVS Health Makes Overdose-Reversal Drug Available Without A Prescription At All CVS Pharmacy Locations in Nevada

PRESS RELEASE

WOONSOCKET, R.I., Dec. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) announced today that the opioid overdose-reversal medication naloxone is now available without a prescription at all CVS Pharmacy locations in Nevada. CVS Health has established a standing order with physicians in Nevada that allows CVS Pharmacy to expand access to the medication across the state.

"Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdoses and by expanding access to this medication in our Nevada pharmacies by the use of a physician's standing order for patients without a prescription, we can help save lives," said Tom Davis, RPh, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy. "We are dedicated to helping the communities we serve address and prevent drug abuse and we are expanding access to naloxone to give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery."

The move to expand access to naloxone builds on CVS Health's longstanding commitment to help communities address and prevent drug abuse through education, outreach and safe medication disposal. CVS Health's commitment to drug abuse prevention education extends from online resources for patients visiting CVS.com to a commitment to youth prevention programs. Launched in 2015, CVS Health's Pharmacists Teach program gives its pharmacists the opportunity to volunteer to speak to local students about the dangers of drug abuse. More than 150,000 students have already been part of the program. The CVS Health Foundation is also working with DoSomething.org to create a peer-to-peer prevention and intervention program delivered to young people via text message and online.

CVS Health has also joined with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids to create the Medication Disposal for Safer Communities Program, which has donated more than 600 drug disposal units to police departments around the country. The program gives members of the community a safe and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unwanted medication and has already collected more than 47 metric tons of prescription drugs.

"CVS Health has been a leader in the work of helping communities prevent prescription drug abuse," said Marcia Lee Taylor, President and CEO, Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. "In addition to proper disposal of unwanted medication, increasing access to naloxone is a critical public health priority that allows patients and their families to prevent opioid fatalities and recognize when people need help working towards recovery from the disease of addiction."

With the addition of Nevada, CVS Pharmacy now dispenses naloxone in a total of 37 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.