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Medscape
09-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Youth Overdose Deaths From Synthetic Opioids Surge
While youth overdose deaths from any substance rose by 40% between 2018 and 2022, deaths involving only synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, increased by 168% and surpassed deaths from polydrug combinations, a new study showed. METHODOLOGY: The National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, and Multiple Cause of Death datasets were used to examine trends in overdose deaths among US youth aged 15-24 years from 2018 to 2022 across ages, sexes, races and ethnicities, and regions. Researchers identified drug poisoning deaths through the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision . . Fatal overdoses involving synthetic opioids alone or in combination with benzodiazepines, cocaine, heroin, prescription opioids, and other stimulants were analyzed using multiple/contributing cause of death fields. Investigators calculated the prevalence and rates of overdose per 100,000 youth using annual US Census Bureau population estimates by race and ethnicity. TAKEAWAY: Youth overdose deaths from any substance increased from 4652 to 6723 (10.9 to 15.2 per 100,000 people) between 2018 and 2022. Fatal overdoses involving only synthetic opioids increased from 1.6 to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 youth over the same period, whereas deaths involving synthetic opioids and heroin decreased by 85%. In 2022, males had 2.5 times the rate of fatal overdoses involving synthetic opioids alone compared to females (95% CI, 2.3-2.8), with both sexes showing similar increases over the study period. By 2022, fatal overdoses involving only synthetic opioids among American Indian/Alaska Native non-Hispanic youth increased to 2.3 times the rate compared to White non-Hispanic youth (95% CI, 1.6-3.1). The highest annual changes in rate of overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids and other stimulants (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 1.5; 95% CI, 1.3-1.7), synthetic opioids only (IRR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.4), and synthetic opioids and cocaine (IRR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.2-1.3). IN PRACTICE: 'Before we looked at the data, we thought we would find that the majority of fatal youth overdoses involved fentanyl combined with other substances, such as prescription opioids or cocaine. Instead, we found the opposite — that most deaths were caused by fentanyl alone,' study co-investigator Noa Krawczyk, PhD, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City, said in a press release. 'These findings highlight the changing risks of the drug supply and the need for better access to harm-reduction services to prevent deaths among youth,' the investigators wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Megan Miller, MPH, Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York City. It was published online on May 20 in Pediatrics . LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by potential residual misclassification in mortality coding practices, small sample sizes for examining youth who identify as more than one race, and lack of information about sexual orientation. DISCLOSURES: This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Krawczyk reported receiving compensation for expert witness testimony as a part of ongoing opioid litigation. The other investigators reported having no relevant financial disclosures.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
US overdose deaths made largest one-year decline ever in 2024
There were 30,000 fewer US drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before – the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released on Wednesday. That's down 27% from 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year, with Nevada and South Dakota experiencing small increases. Some of the biggest drops were in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. Expanded addiction treatment. Shifts in how people use drugs. The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, US annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement, the CDC noted that overdoses are still the leading cause of death for people 18-44 years old, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress'. Some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' said Dr Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the US, including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when US overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50bn over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to $7bn, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. 'States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'' in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. That worries many public health leaders and advocates. 'We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support – not punish – people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis,' said Dr Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois woman whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. 'Eventually people are going to start listening. Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years.'
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
US overdose deaths fell 27% last year but remain above prepandemic levels
There were 30,000 fewer U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2024 than the year before — the largest one-year decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Wednesday. That's down 27% from the 110,000 in 2023. The CDC has been collecting comparable data for 45 years. The previous largest one-year drop was 4% in 2018, according to the agency's National Center for Health Statistics. All but two states saw declines last year — with some of the biggest in Ohio, West Virginia and other states that have been hard-hit in the nation's decades-long overdose epidemic. Experts say more research needs to be done to understand what drove the reduction, but they mention several possible factors. Among the most cited: — Increased availability of the overdose-reversing drug naloxone. — Expanded addiction treatment. — Shifts in how people use drugs. — The growing impact of billions of dollars in opioid lawsuit settlement money. — The number of at-risk Americans is shrinking, after waves of deaths in older adults and a shift in teens and younger adults away from the drugs that cause most deaths. Still, annual overdose deaths are higher than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. And some experts worry that the recent decline could be slowed or stopped by reductions in federal funding and the public health workforce, or a shift away from the strategies that seem to be working. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' said Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco. The provisional numbers are estimates of everyone who died of overdoses in the U.S., including noncitizens. That data is still being processed, and the final numbers can sometimes differ a bit. But it's clear that there was a huge drop last year. Experts note that there have been past moments when U.S. overdose deaths seemed to have plateaued or even started to go down, only to rise again. That happened in 2018. But there are reasons to be optimistic. Naloxone has become more widely available, in part because of the introduction of over-the-counter versions that don't require prescriptions. Meanwhile, drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy chains and other businesses have settled lawsuits with state and local governments over the painkillers that were a main driver of overdose deaths in the past. The deals over the last decade or so have promised about $50 billion over time, with most of it required to be used to fight addiction. Another settlement that would be among the largest, with members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreeing to pay up to $7 billion, could be approved this year. The money, along with federal taxpayer funding, is going to a variety of programs, including supportive housing and harm reduction efforts, such as providing materials to test drugs for fentanyl, the biggest driver of overdoses now. But what each state will do with that money is currently at issue. 'States can either say, 'We won, we can walk away'' in the wake of the declines or they can use the lawsuit money on naloxone and other efforts, said Regina LaBelle, a former acting director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. She now heads an addiction and public policy program at Georgetown University. President Donald Trump's administration views opioids as largely a law enforcement issue and as a reason to step up border security. That worries many public health leaders and advocates. 'We believe that taking a public health approach that seeks to support — not punish — people who use drugs is crucial to ending the overdose crisis,' said Dr. Tamara Olt, an Illinois woman whose 16-year-old son died of a heroin overdose in 2012. She is now executive director of Broken No Moore, an advocacy organization focused on substance use disorder. Olt attributes recent declines to the growing availability of naloxone, work to make treatment available, and wider awareness of the problem. Kimberly Douglas, an Illinois whose 17-year-old son died of an overdose in 2023, credited the growing chorus of grieving mothers. 'Eventually people are going to start listening. Unfortunately, it's taken 10-plus years.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
