A sign for the Food and Drug Administration is displayed outside their offices in Silver Spring, Md., on Dec. 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
The life-saving overdose reversal agent Narcan is one step closer to being easily accessed by the general public.
The Food and Drug Administration's board of independent advisors voted to make the nasal spray available for over-the-counter purchasing.
"There is no reason to keep this as a prescription, let's get it out there and save some lives," Elizabeth Coykendall, a temporary voting member on the FDA's advisory board and paramedic at PM Pediatrics in Raleigh, North Carolina, told CNBC.
A final decision has not been made by the agency but they are expected to have a final answer by March 29. Emergent BioSolutions, the maker of Narcan, said the spray would be available for purchase by late summer if it receives FDA approval.
All 50 states currently offer a generic version of Narcan known as Naloxone, and it is already being sold over-the-counter after a sharp rise in overdose deaths in recent years. People seeking the treatment do not have to have a prescription.
"Allowing it to be sold over-the-counter in the same manner in every state really clears uop some confusion and hopefully clears up some of that red tape," Dr Kirk Evoy, a clinical associate professor of pharmacotherapy a the University of Texas at Austin, told CNN.
If the FDA does remove Narcan from its list of prescribed treatments, it could become available in places outside of pharmacies like vending machines, supermarkets and convenience stores.
NASA's Perseverance Rover unexpectedly has discovered volcanic rock on the surface of Mars. Scientists initially had thought the rocks were sedimentary in nature.
The deadly tornadoes that devastated Kentucky and five other states last weekend have brought climate change back to forefront of the conversation. Scientists say no single weather event can be pinned to climate change alone, but this December has been unseasonably warm, and warmer temperatures can make extreme weather events more likely. Jana Houser, associate professor of meteorology at Ohio University, joined Cheddar to discuss what role climate change might have played in these deadly tornadoes, and what can be done to prevent severe weather events like this from getting even worse in the future.
Even as tech giant Google implements a vaccination mandate, charging its employees to declare their vaccine status within a time frame or risk dismissal, the federal government is tangled up in the court system trying to impose one of its own. Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner of Nelson Hardiman LLP, joined Cheddar to debate the ethics, efficacy, and legality surrounding the issue. While Cohn noted that she thinks the federal mandate might be legally sound, her organization is also concerned with a separate question of privacy. "At EFF what we're most interested in is the digital surveillance that's going along with some of these attempts to try to track and confirm whether people are vaccinated or not," she said.
There is a new way for investors to bet on cannabis - the AdvisorShares Poseidon Dynamic Cannabis ETF targets about 20 of the biggest names in U.S. cannabis. It comes at a time when it's still difficult for investors to access the space. Cheddar News cannabis reporter Chloe Aiello spoke with co-founder and managing director for Poseidon Investment Management, Emily Paxhia.
Joellen Russell, Professor at the University of Arizona, joins Cheddar Climate to discuss how poor academic curricula and misinformation online are hindering efforts to educate children about climate change, as well as how Science Moms is providing resources to moms to help create a safer world for their children.
Another successful spaceflight is in the books for Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. The company's third human spaceflight blasted off from Van Horn, TX. on Saturday, lasting about ten minutes from takeoff to landing. The crew, which included former NFL star and current GMA host Michael Strahan, traveled to the edge of space and experienced a few minutes of weightlessness before the capsule descended back to earth. Andrew Chanin, CEO of ProcureAM, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the significance of the launch.
The U.S. Government is making its first major move toward encouraging nuclear energy in the U.S., as it pushes toward a sustainable future. Scott Waldman, White House reporter for Politico's E&E News joined Cheddar News to break down the developments. "There's definitely an audience for this now since we're looking at the value of nuclear in terms of climate policy," he said, regarding the prospects for bipartisan support.
Google reportedly has announced that its employees must declare their vaccination status by January 18 or face a loss of pay, administrative leave, and eventual termination.
