Two-thousand opioid overdose reversal kits are being distributed in Iowa.
More than 350 pharmacies statewide will have the naloxone kits available for free. Each kit has two doses of the drug in nasal spray form. Kevin Gabbert, with the Iowa Department of Public Health, says naloxone usually costs about 150-dollars at a pharmacy.
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State health officials say there were just over 200 opioid-related overdose deaths in Iowa last year. Gabbert says the free kits are an opportunity for people most at risk of witnessing or experiencing an opioid overdose to get naloxone.
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The state used federal grant funds to buy the naloxone at a reduced price. A state law passed in 2016 eased restrictions on naloxone, allowing adults who are at risk of opioid-related overdose — and their family and friends — to buy the drug from a pharmacy without a prescription.