How Fentanyl Changed The Landscape Of Opioid Epidemic To Overtake Oxycodone As Deadliest Drug
Fentanyl is part of what the CDC calls the "third wave" of the opioid epidemic, following in the footsteps of oxycodone and heroin. In a recent analysis, researchers found that the rate of drug overdose deaths involving fentanyl doubled each year from 2013 to 2016.
CNN:
Fentanyl Is The Deadliest Drug In America, CDC Confirms
Fentanyl is now the most commonly used drug involved in drug overdoses, according to a new government report. The latest numbers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics say that the rate of drug overdoses involving the synthetic opioid skyrocketed by about 113% each year from 2013 through 2016. The number of total drug overdoses jumped 54% each year between 2011 and 2016. In 2016, there were 63,632 drug overdose deaths. (Kounang, 12/12)
The Hill:
CDC: Fentanyl Is Deadliest Drug In America
There were a total of 63,632 drug overdose deaths in 2016, with fentanyl found to be involved in nearly 29 percent of those cases, according to the report. By comparison, fentanyl was involved in only 4 percent of all drug fatalities in 2011. That year, oxycodone ranked first, involving 13 percent of all fatal overdoses. (Weixel, 12/12)
NPR:
Report Highlights Fentanyl's Deadly Role In The Overdose Crisis
Back in 2011, oxycodone was the drug most commonly linked to overdose deaths. Starting in 2012 and lasting until 2015, heroin surpassed painkillers to become the drug most often involved. But then fentanyl, a synthetic opioid pain reliever 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, infiltrated the American drug supply — what the CDC calls "the third wave" of the opioid epidemic. By 2016, overdose deaths involving fentanyl had become more common than any other. (Wamsley, 12/12)
In other news on the national drug epidemic —
The Associated Press:
New Effort In Maryland To Combat Upsurge In Fentanyl Deaths
A new effort in Maryland to prosecute more fentanyl cases in federal court is designed to help combat an alarming increase of fatalities caused by the potent synthetic opioid that's fueling the deadliest overdose epidemic in U.S. history. Fentanyl — a synthetic opioid both cheap to produce and up to 50 times more powerful than heroin — was the driving force behind Maryland's all-time high number of drug fatalities last year, rising from 1,119 in 2016 to 1,594 in 2017. But this year's projected total exceeds 2,000 deaths from fentanyl, a 25 percent increase from last year's grim milestone. (McFadden, 12/12)
Philadelphia Inquirer:
Study: Opioid Use Rising Among Pregnant Hospital Patients In Pa.
Opioid use among patients seeking pregnancy-related care at Pennsylvania hospitals has risen significantly since 2000, according to new data published by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). The research brief, published this week, showed that opioid use was present in one in every 51 maternal hospital stays — hospital visits for deliveries or other pregnancy-related issues — in the state in 2016 and 2017. (Whelan, 12/12)
New Hampshire Public Radio:
Many Questions Remain As Officials Hustle To Launch New Addiction Care System
Gov. Chris Sununu and state health officials are now investing heavily in a new system they say will significantly improve care for those struggling with addiction. This so-called "hub and spoke" plan kicks off at the start of the new year. Now, with that launch date just weeks away, NHPR’s Britta Greene and Sarah Gibson having been reporting on how the effort is taking shape. (Greene and Gibson, 12/12)
