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“Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (mainly fentanyl) and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine also increased in 2020 compared to 2019. Cocaine-related deaths also increased in 2020, as did opioid deaths. natural and semi-synthetic (such as prescription pain relievers), ”NCHS said in a statement.
“This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999”, Dr Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), who makes part of the National Institutes. of Health, said in a statement.
“These data are frightening. The COVID-19 pandemic has created a devastating collision of health crises in America,” Volkow added.
As in recent years, the inappropriate use of opioids is the cause of most deaths. The NCHS reported that opioid overdose deaths increased from 50,963 in 2019 to 69,710 in 2020.
“It has been an incredibly uncertain and stressful time for many people and we are seeing an increase in drug use, difficulties accessing life-saving treatments for substance use disorders and an increase in drug use. tragic overdose deaths, ”Volkow said.
“As we continue to fight both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis, we must prioritize expanding treatment options for people with substance use disorders. “
Dr Joshua Sharfstein, associate dean of public health practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and former U.S. Food and Drug Administration subcommittee, agreed the pandemic had exacerbated a crisis already serious.
“The pandemic has a lot to do with it,” Sharfstein told CNN.
“But as the pandemic recedes, we are still grappling with this overdose crisis.”
Opioid overdoses have been on the rise in the United States for decades. Some members of Congress have criticized the FDA for approving new synthetic opioids, and the makers of some of these drugs, including Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma, have been sued for their role in their commercialization.
Last week, members of the Sackler family, owners of Purdue, reached a $ 4.5 billion settlement with 15 states in legal actions to dissolve the company.
Doctors have also been accused of over-prescribing opioids and creating dependency on them.
Sharfstein said he believes the FDA can and should do more to control over-prescribing of opioids.
“There are definitely actions the clinical community can take to reduce the risk of people becoming addicted to opioids,” Sharfstein told CNN.
“FDA oversight of medical and clinical practice is an area the agency recognizes needs improvement. The question of whether or not a particular drug should have been approved is a fair one to ask. But now, the focus should be on prescription oversight, ”Sharfstein added.
“If you think about how the country has progressed on Covid since there was a clear national strategy that included targets and good data and evidence for critical projects – I think this type of approach is important here. . The same kind of urgency and strategy that has been applied to Covid could produce results over time. “
Sharfstein welcomed Tuesday’s announcement that President Joe Biden would appoint former West Virginia health commissioner Dr Rahul Gupta as head of the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy . If confirmed, Gupta would be the first doctor to lead the practice.
“Dr Gupta is used to seeing the drug crisis as a health problem. He will follow the evidence where it takes him,” said Sharfstein.
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