Coborn’s to Sell Over the Counter Narcan

(KNSI) — St. Cloud-based Coborn’s Incorporated is now selling over the counter Narcan nasal spray.

Narcan can stop the effects of an opioid overdose within a few moments and “gives guests and the local community access to potentially life-saving medication,” according to a company press release. The active ingredient, naloxone, works by binding opioid receptors and blocking the effects.

Narcan will be available at all Coborn’s, Cash Wise Foods, and Marketplace Foods grocery stores at the Guest Services counter.

In 2022, St. Cloud police responded to 80 reports of overdoses and had an unprecedented 19 overdose deaths. Sixteen of them were due to fentanyl. Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force Commander Lucas Dingmann told KNSI that some people would have survived if Narcan had been available sooner. “It surely could help save more lives if people have it in general because, if they’re not in a more metropolitan area, where law enforcement or emergency services are there quicker, this could help.”

First responders have carried it as part of their medical equipment for a while, but the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of Narcan without a prescription in March. Experts say Narcan is easy to use but is temporary, so a call should be placed to 911 immediately for further treatment.

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