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Regarding the April 21 news article “Planned price for Narcan kit raises concerns about access”:
As the opioid crisis continues to rise within the United States, the discussion surrounding naloxone distribution becomes entirely more critical. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 3 million people in the United States suffer from an opioid addiction. This problem is pervasive across all socioeconomic levels and demographics.
Therefore, when discussing the availability and accessibility of such an influential drug, there should be an added emphasis upon affordability and convenience. Simply ensuring supply of the drug in areas easily accessible to potential users, such as pharmacies, is not enough. If the drug is too expensive for potential users to buy, what is the true effectiveness of increasing accessibility of the drug?
Accessibility should encompass the entire spectrum concerning the means to which a potential user can gain access to a drug, including price, location, the need for a prescription, limits to supply, etc.
The United States spends about twice as much on prescription drugs as comparable wealthy nations — $963 per capita. This overpricing of accessible naloxone is simply another example of the outrageous cost of drugs within the United States.
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