BATON ROUGE- CVS announced on Thursday that it will begin selling an over-the-counter opioid and heroin overdose reversal drug in its pharmacies in Louisiana, along with six other states.

According to the company, the drug, called naloxone, will be available to individuals without an individual prescription.

Tom Davis, RPh,Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Practices at CVS Pharmacy, said that expanding the drug’s availability to more pharmacies can save lives.

“Naloxone is a safe and effective antidote to opioid overdose and by expanding availability of this medication, we can save lives and give more people a chance to get the help they need for recovery," Davis said.

"By establishing a physician-authorized standing order that allows our pharmacies to dispense naloxone to patients without an individual prescription, we strengthen our commitment to helping the communities we serve begin to address the challenges of prescription drug abuse,” he said.

Director of National Control Policy, Michael Botticelli, said that the expansion of access to the drug will help the national issue of overdoses.

"Expanding access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone is a critical part of our national strategy to stop the prescription drug and heroin overdose epidemic – along with effective prevention, treatment, and enforcement," Botticelli said.

Louisiana passed legislation previously authorizing pharmacies to dispense naloxone.

CVS already offers the drug in 23 states. The expansion now includes Louisiana along with New Mexico, Florida, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Naloxone will be available in Louisiana CVS pharmacies in early June.