Why Narcan Costs $144.00 Per Claim
Narcan (Naloxone Nasal Spray) is used to treat opioid dependence. According to CMS Medicare Part D spending data, the program spent $178.0M on this drug, covering 248,000 beneficiaries across 1,240,000 claims.
A generic version of this drug is available, which means lower-cost alternatives exist. Patients should ask their pharmacist about generic Naloxone Nasal Spray or talk to their doctor about therapeutic alternatives that may cost less.
Spending on Narcan increased by +42.4% year-over-year, driven by increased utilization among Medicare beneficiaries.
Price Breakdown
Drug Details
Frequently Asked Questions
Narcan (Naloxone Nasal Spray) costs an average of $144.00 per claim based on Medicare Part D data. The estimated annual cost per patient is $718.00. Actual out-of-pocket costs depend on your insurance plan and pharmacy.
Narcan averages $144.00 per Medicare Part D claim — roughly equivalent to a 30-day supply for most patients on standard dosing. Without insurance, expect higher cash-pay prices unless you use a discount program (GoodRx, SingleCare, manufacturer copay assistance). With Medicare or commercial insurance, your out-of-pocket cost depends on your plan's formulary tier and deductible status.
A typical 30-day supply of Narcan reflects in our Medicare Part D average of $144.00 per claim. Switching to generic Naloxone Nasal Spray typically reduces cost by 80-95%. Cash-pay prices vary by pharmacy — comparison shopping (or using GoodRx coupons) often saves 20-50% off the listed price.
Most commercial insurance plans and Medicare Part D plans cover Narcan, but coverage varies by formulary tier. Insurers typically prefer generic Naloxone Nasal Spray (Tier 1, lowest copay) over brand-name Narcan (Tier 2-3, higher copay). Some plans require prior authorization or step therapy. Check your plan's formulary or call the number on your insurance card to confirm.
Several options for cash-pay patients: (1) Manufacturer patient assistance programs — the manufacturer may offer copay cards or free-drug programs for income-qualified patients; (2) Discount programs like GoodRx, SingleCare, or RxSaver typically save 20-80% off the cash price; (3) Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs offers transparent generic pricing if a generic is available; (4) 340B-eligible community health centers offer drugs at federally negotiated discounts. Switching to generic Naloxone Nasal Spray is the single biggest cost reducer if your prescriber is open to it.
Brand-name Narcan costs more than generic Naloxone Nasal Spray primarily for marketing reasons — patients can request the brand from their doctor even when a chemically identical generic exists. The active ingredient and clinical effect are the same.
Yes, a generic version of Narcan (Naloxone Nasal Spray) is available. Generic medications typically cost 80-95% less than brand-name drugs. Ask your pharmacist about generic Naloxone Nasal Spray.
Medicare Part D spent $178.0M on Narcan, covering 248,000 beneficiaries across 1,240,000 claims. This makes it one of the tracked drugs in the Medicare spending dashboard.
Ask your pharmacist about generic Naloxone Nasal Spray, which is typically much cheaper. You can also compare prices at different pharmacies, use prescription discount programs (GoodRx, SingleCare, Cost Plus Drugs), or ask your doctor about therapeutic alternatives in the same drug class.
The this entity record above pulls directly from CMS Medicare Part D Drug Spending data. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. Medicare prescription-drug pricing distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to CMS Medicare Part D Drug Spending data; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. prescription drugs with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.
Related
Cost data reflects Medicare Part D spending and may not represent retail pharmacy prices. Average cost per claim represents the total drug cost (not patient out-of-pocket) divided by total claims.