Several data sources show the U.S. has achieved the first sustained drop in opioid prescriptions after years of growth, according to a report in The New York Times.
Opioid prescriptions declined in 2013, 2014 and 2015, indicating the opioid prescription boom may have hit its peak, according to the report. Data from IMS health shows a 12 percent decline in prescriptions since 2012 levels, while another data set from Symphony Health Solutions shows there has been an 18 percent drop over the same time period.
The IMS report shows prescriptions have fallen in 49 states except South Dakota, according to the report. The largest declines have been in West Virginia, what is considered the epicenter of the opioid problem, as well as Texas and Oklahoma, according to the report.
Unfortunately, the decline in prescriptions has not yet translated into a decline in deaths. Fatal overdoses from opioids are still growing, according to the report.
Read the full report here.
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