Naloxone - Shortage and Pricing

Shortage and Pricing

Naloxone has been periodically under FDA shortage designation since 2001 and was recently re-verified as being in shortage due to a manufacturing delay. Twenty-one out of 48 naloxone prescription programs surveyed in 2010 reported they had experienced challenges in obtaining naloxone in the months leading up to the survey, mainly due either to cost increases that outstripped allocated funding or the suppliers’ inability to fill orders. The approximate cost of a 1ml ampoule of naloxone in the United States is estimated to be significantly higher than in most Western countries; on average, the price for naloxone supply has increased precipitously in recent years.