Emergent’s Over-the-Counter Opioid Antidote Gets Panels’ Nod (2)

Emergent BioSolutions Inc.’s opioid overdose reversal spray is safe for use without a doctor’s prescription, advisers to US regulators said in a key step toward increasing access to the life-saving drug amid a surging death toll for the decades-long public-health crisis.

A joint meeting of two US Food and Drug Administration advisory panels voted unanimously Wednesday that the benefits of the nonprescription spray, sold under the brand name Narcan, outweigh its risks. The recommendation isn’t binding, but it is influential and comes after the FDA encouraged drugmakers to bring forward such over-the-counter versions of the medication. Emergent’s shares rose ...