Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, will be available over-the-counter nationwide beginning next week at Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

• Maryland: Narcan, the opioid overdose antidote, will be available over-the-counter nationwide beginning next week. According to Emergent BioSolutions, who makes Narcan, shipments of the drug are on the way to major retailers, including Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, and CVS. Walgreens announced Monday the drug will sell for $44.99 and will be available at select stores and online as soon as Sept. 5 and available nationwide across almost 9,000 stores by Sept. 7. Spokespeople for CVS and Rite Aid said they will also sell Narcan at $44.99, and noted the drug qualifies as a medical expense for health savings accounts and flexible spending accounts. (Lovelace, NBC News, 8/30; Hoffman and Weiland, New York Times, 8/30; Cuevas, USA Today, 8/30)
• Massachusetts: A recent study from Tufts University suggests the prescription of fruits and vegetables to adults and children can improve overall health and curb food insecurity. Published in Circulation, the study analyzed those at an increased risk for heart disease over a six-month duration in produce prescription programs. These individuals not only increased their fruit and vegetable intake but also demonstrated improved body mass index, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels. The programs, which saw patients receiving electronic cards or vouchers for free or discounted produce, covered over 3,800 participants across the country, nearly half being children. Alongside improved health, researchers found a significant drop in food insecurity among the participants. Mitchell Elkind, chief clinical science officer at the American Heart Association and a professor of neurology and epidemiology at Columbia, said the study "illustrates the potential of subsidized produce prescriptions to increase consumption of nutritious fruits and vegetables, reduce food insecurity, and, hopefully, improve subjective and objective health measures." (Moniuszko, CBS News, 8/29)
• North Carolina: Pfizer has announced it expects operations to resume at its Rocky Mount plant by Q4 this year following a temporary halt due to a tornado in July. The facility, employing over 3,200 workers, has been non-operational since July 19th after it was hit by a tornado which affected a portion of the Pfizer site that is one of the world's largest sterile injectable facilities. The plant reopened on Aug. 7, with multiple sections now functional and on track according to a recent update from the company. Pfizer has also secured a temporary space while ongoing efforts for complete restoration continue. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the company feels "very confident that the whole thing will go back to life. But still, we are assessing how long that will take. And we are doing anything we can to make sure that we will minimize the shortages in the marketplace because of that." (Purtell, Charlotte Business Journal, 8/30)