CAMP HILL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Rite Aid announced today that naloxone, a medication that can be used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is now available at more than 630 pharmacies in Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia without a prescription, subject to state regulations. Previously, naloxone, which can be administered by injection or nasal spray, was only available with a physician’s prescription.

“As the epidemic continues to grow, as evidenced in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recent statistic, 91 people die every day from an opioid overdose in the United States,” said Jocelyn Konrad, Rite Aid executive vice president of pharmacy. “With the ability to dispense naloxone without a prescription in more than 20 states, Rite Aid is not only showing its commitment to increasing customer access to this potentially lifesaving medication, but we are also raising awareness and helping fight drug abuse in the communities we serve.”

Naloxone is also available for purchase without patient specific prescriptions at Rite Aid pharmacies in 17 additional states including: Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

To date, Rite Aid has trained more than 10,000 pharmacists on naloxone dispensing. Rite Aid is also working to expand its naloxone dispensing program in other states served by the Company where naloxone is currently only available with a prescription.

Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) is one of the nation's leading drugstore chains with nearly 4,600 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia and fiscal 2016 annual revenues of $30.7 billion. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate background and press releases, is available through the company's website at www.riteaid.com.

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