Medscape (7/24, Hughes, Subscription Publication) reported, “In the past 5 years, there has been a significant drop in the use of prescription opioids and in deaths associated with such use; but at the same time there’s been a dramatic increase in fatalities involving illicit opioids and stimulants, a new report from the American Medical Association (AMA) Opioid Task Force shows.” Even though “the medical community has made some important progress against the opioid epidemic, with a 37% reduction in opioid prescribing since 2013, illicit drugs are now the dominant reason why drug overdoses kill more than 70,000 people each year, the report says.” In an attempt “to improve the situation, the AMA Opioid Task Force is urging the removal of barriers to evidence-based care for patients who have pain and for those who have substance use disorders (SUDs).” Task force chair and immediate past president Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A., told Medscape Medical News, “It is critically important as we see drug overdoses increasing that we work towards reducing barriers of care for substance use abusers. … At present, the status quo is killing far too many of our loved ones and wreaking havoc in our communities.”
Related Links:
— Medscape (requires login and subscription)