Last Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan, 4 milligram naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, for over-the-counter (OTC), nonprescription use.

It is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription.

Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard emergency treatment for such. Narcan nasal spray was first approved by the FDA in 2015 as a prescription drug. More than 44 million doses of Narcan have been distributed since its launch in 2016.

More than 101,750 reported fatal overdoses occurred in the U.S.