AXIOS May 12, 2022
Adriel Bettelheim

Drugs for treating opioid abuse aren’t reaching most high-risk patients, potentially widening gaps in care as overdose deaths hit record highs.

The big picture: New provisional data show a 15% surge in overdose deaths during the pandemic, rekindling a debate over whether enough Americans in the throes of the addiction crisis have access to potentially life-saving treatments.

Driving the news: Nearly 53% of patients with opioid use disorder were not prescribed buprenorphine, which reduces the risk of future overdoses, according to a new analysis of insurance claims from about 180,000 people.

  • More than 70% of opioid users who also misuse other substances, such as alcohol or methamphetamine, weren’t prescribed the drug, per the analysis in JAMA Network Open, which...

Today's Sponsors

LEK
ZeOmega

Today's Sponsor

LEK

 
Topics: Biotechnology, Patient / Consumer, Pharma, Pharma / Biotech, Provider, Survey / Study, Trends
Can Google Street View data provide heart health insights?
Covid’s scientific silver lining: A chance to watch the human immune system respond in real time
New Data: Long COVID Cases Surge
Chemo overdose can lead to death. Here's how a genetic test could prevent that.
Patients can and should own their healthcare journey

Share This Article