CVS pharmacies around the state can soon sell a heroin antidote without a prescription.
The state Health Department announced the deal with the pharmacy company Thursday to make the antidote Naloxone available at nearly 500 CVS stores statewide.
The State Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, said the move is part of an effort to lower the number of heroin-related deaths and put users on the road to recovery.
Naloxone goes by the brand name Narcan, which ambulance crews and emergency rooms have used for decades to temporarily block the effects of heroin and help the user regain consciousness.
However, anyone who takes Narcan is urged to go to a hospital before the effects wear off.