Jamie Mack is the Executive Assistant in the Office of the Director at the Delaware Division of Public Health.
He chatted with Delaware Public Media’s Megan Pauly about efforts to make naloxone available over the counter in Delaware, and what’s holding up that process.
Walgreens is starting to offer naloxone over the counter in states like Maryland and New Jersey, but not in Delaware – yet.
In the First State, individuals can acquire a prescription for naloxone, but only for themselves.
Jamie Mack, Executive Assistant in the Office of the Director at the Delaware Division of Public Health, says legislation is in the works to protect pharmacists who offer naloxone to customers for use on others.
“We’re trying to expand the access to naloxone by not quite making them truly over the counter, but you would be able to simply walk into a pharmacy and purchase the naloxone," Mack said. "But as part of that purchase you would be provided say a 5-10 minute training by a pharmacist.”
Mack says an existing statute relating to naloxone is similar to the Good Samaritan statute, protecting physicians from civil liability if administration of naloxone produces an adverse effect for customers. The proposed statute would extend that protection to pharmacists.
