Final answer:
True, pharmacists may dispense naloxone or another opioid antagonist under a nonpatient-specific standing order per Board rules. Naloxone is used for emergency opioid overdose reversal, and increasing its access is a public health measure aimed at reducing overdose deaths.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that a pharmacist may dispense naloxone or another opioid antagonist pursuant to a nonpatient-specific standing order per Board rules is True. Naloxone is an opiate antagonist that has no analgesic, euphoric, or respiratory depressing effects in non-dependent individuals but can precipitate withdrawal in narcotic-dependent ones. It is used in emergencies to reverse opioid overdose by rapidly countering life-threatening respiratory depression. Naltrexone, another opiate antagonist, is used for maintaining narcotic abstinence in treatment programs, thanks to its oral bioavailability and longer duration of action. The increased access to naloxone, sometimes known as Narcan, is part of a public health strategy to reduce opioid overdose deaths. This access includes allowing pharmacists to provide naloxone without an individual prescription, under established Board rules that facilitate wider distribution and use.