- U.S. President Joe Biden will reveal a new strategy today for dealing with drug addiction and overdoses to expand access to medications for opioid overdoses, increase funding for law enforcement, and expand sanctions against traffickers.
- According to U.S. Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Data, the U.S. opioid crisis fueled more than an estimated 106,854 drug overdose deaths in the year to November 2021, a 15.6% increase from the same period a year earlier.
- "That's an American life lost every five minutes around the clock," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Control Policy at the White House.
- Related: Drug Distributors, JNJ Agree To Settle $26B Opioid Lawsuits.
- The National Drug Control Strategy, which Biden will send to Congress on Thursday, seeks to double treatment admissions for populations most at risk of overdose deaths and ensure universal access to medications for opioid use disorder by 2025.
- The administration also aims to triple the number of drug traffickers it sanctions and increase border security, said Gupta.
- Read Next: JNJ, McKesson, Endo Settle $275M Opioid Claims With Alabama: Reuters.
- Currently, naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, and syringe service programs are often restricted or underfunded.
- Opiant Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:OPNT) markets Narcan Nasal Spray 4mg, nasal naloxone spray.
- Patients are more likely to receive a naloxone prescription if they had a prior diagnosis of opioid misuse or dependence and an overdose than individuals who had those diagnoses without an overdose.
