Author Interviews, CDC, Opiods / 09.08.2019
CDC: More Naloxone Prescriptions Needed esp in Rural Areas
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Gery P. Guy Jr., PhD, MPH
Senior Health Economist
Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention
CDC
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: In 2017, among the 70,237 drug overdose deaths in the United States, 47,600 (67.8%) involved prescription or illicit opioids. Distribution of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone to reverse overdose is a key part of the public health response to the opioid overdose epidemic. The 2016 CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain recommended clinicians consider offering naloxone when overdose risk factors, such as history of overdose or opioid use disorder, higher opioid dosages, or concurrent benzodiazepine use, are present.
However, recent analyses examining pharmacy-based naloxone dispensing are lacking. To address this gap and to inform future overdose prevention and response efforts, CDC examined trends and characteristics of naloxone dispensed from retail pharmacies at the national and county level in the United States.
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