Data Shows Declining Opioid Prescriptions

New data from IQVIA Institute for Data Science, a health information company, shows a continued decrease in opioid prescriptions dispensed last year. CNBC reported that “the number of prescriptions accelerated its decline in 2017, with an even faster drop for high doses.” In a statement released this week, Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, chair of the AMA Opioid Task Force, said, “A 22-percent decrease in opioid prescriptions nationally between 2013 and 2017 reflects the fact that physicians and other health care professionals are increasingly judicious when prescribing opioids. It is notable that every state has experienced a decrease, but this is tempered by the fact that deaths related to heroin and illicit fentanyl are increasing at a staggering rate, and deaths related to prescription opioids also continue to rise.” Read the AMA statement.