Drug facts labels (DFLs) are required for all OTC drugs, and it’s usually up to manufacturers to develop and test their own to ensure that consumers understand how to use their products.
“Some stakeholders have identified the requirement ... as a barrier to development of OTC naloxone products,” so the agency developed two DFLs on its own – one for nasal spray naloxone, the other for auto-injectors – and completed the necessary label comprehension testing, according to an announcement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD.
There’s not much else manufactures have to do, except deal with the details of their own products. They “can now focus their efforts on ... how well consumers understand the product-specific information that hasn’t been already tested in the model” DFLs, according to the announcement.
As deaths from opioid abuse continue to climb, the FDA is committed to increasing access to naloxone, which currently requires a prescription. The new DFLs “should jump-start the development of OTC naloxone products ... I personally urge companies to take notice of this pathway that the FDA has opened for them and come to the Agency with applications as soon as possible,” Dr. Gottlieb said.
Comprehension was assessed in more than 700 people, including heroin and prescription opioid users, their friends and families, and adolescents. “Overall, the study demonstrated that” the DFLs are “well-understood by consumers” and acceptable “for use by manufacturers in support of their ... development programs,” according to the announcement.
In a press statement, the American Medical Association applauded the agency’s move “to provide labeling that would allow for over-the-counter availability of naloxone, a move that will save people from opioid-related overdose ... The action should spur efforts by naloxone manufacturers to submit applications for their products to receive over-the-counter status.”