The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved sales of the lifesaving opioid overdose medication Narcan without a prescription.

The agency said the nasal spray is the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription.

Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose. 

The U.S. reported more than 101,750 fatal overdoses occurring in the 12-month period ending in October 2022, primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl. 

Emergent BioSolutions, which produces Narcan, said it will make the drug available on U.S. store shelves and at online retailers by late summer.

Reuters contributed to this report.