A change in drug scheduling will likely make it easier to obtain a take home naloxone kit in Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals has changed rules surrounding the acquisition and sale of naloxone, a medication used to block the effects of opioids and reverse the effect of overdoses.
Before the change, naloxone was listed by the province as a Schedule II drug. Under that classification, a Saskatchewan resident could only obtain a naloxone kit from a licensed pharmacist.
The move allows health authorities and community groups to move the kits from behind the pharmacist’s counter, allowing people to obtain take home kits without a prescription and outside of a pharmacy.
Naloxone is currently classified as a Schedule II drug in Manitoba, having first received that status in June 2016. This means that a prescription is not required for a take home naloxone kit, but kits are only available from a pharmacist at point of sale. As a Schedule II drug, naloxone must be stored in an area of the pharmacy that is not publicly accessible.
The Manitoba Pharmaceutical Association states that Schedule III drugs are available without prescription and are available from the area near the pharmacy, while unscheduled drugs are available for sale from any retail location.
According to the Canadian Pharmacists Association, Manitoba and Saskatchewan were two of the five Canadian provinces and territories with restricted eligibility for take home naloxone kits at non-pharmacy sites as of Nov. 2017.
In Flin Flon, take home naloxone kits can be found at the Primary Health Centre.
Emergency personnel, including paramedics and officers with both the Flin Flon and Creighton RCMP detachments, are mandated to carry doses of naloxone.
