The College of Psychiatric & Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) and members of its Substance Abuse Task Force are pleased to announce the release of a guideline document intended to educate pharmacists on naloxone use and administration with the goal of providing increased patient access to this life-saving medication for opioid overdose. NALOXONE ACCESS: A Practical Guideline for Pharmacists, provides information on the following:

  • Patient Selection
  • How Naloxone is Supplied
  • Prescribing and Dispensing
  • Acquisition and Reimbursement
  • Storage
  • Supporting Laws and Regulations
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
  • Patient Information Sheets for both Intranasal and Intramuscular Administration of Naloxone

Task Force Chair Bethany DiPaula, PharmD, BCPP, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, noted that the Naloxone Access guide was intended to fill a gap in information available to pharmacists. “Prevention and proper treatment of opioid overdose is a national public health priority. Pharmacists can play an important role by making naloxone, a life-saving antidote, available to the community. However, this medication has unique administration, legal, and procurement issues. This guide should make it easier for pharmacists by providing necessary naloxone dispensing and educational information that cannot easily be found in any other single source.”

CPNP’s Incoming President Raymond Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, Professor at the University of Maryland, pointed to the role that pharmacists can and should play in reducing the opioid overdose epidemic. “It seems that every day brings a new headline about opioid abuse and overdose. Yet pharmacists are often left out of this discussion when they can play a key role in improving access to the life-saving drug naloxone.”

The NALOXONE ACCESS: A Practical Guideline for Pharmacists, will be a living document that is updated and maintained on the CPNP website as a freely available source of information.

About CPNP

The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists (CPNP) envisions a world where every individual with a psychiatric or neurologic disorder has a care team that includes a neuropsychiatric pharmacist accountable for optimal medication therapy. As the voice of the specialty, our mission is to advance the reach and practice of neuropsychiatric pharmacists.

CPNP is a professional association of over 1700 pharmacists who are trained to work directly with patients and caregivers to apply specialized clinical knowledge and skills, educate and train healthcare professionals, and develop new knowledge in order to improve health outcomes for those individuals with psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Members apply evidence-based, cost-efficient best practices as a member of a treatment team to achieve patient recovery and improved quality of life.

Recognizing the comorbid nature of substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, CPNP has made a commitment to define and establish the role of neuropsychiatric pharmacists in substance abuse with initial emphasis on defining the role of the pharmacist in buprenorphine treatment and providing naloxone rescue education. CPNP is seeking partners for this effort, entering into new alliances, and establishing educational programs to support these efforts.