The study also discovered a 7,050 percent increase in the number of Medicaid naloxone prescriptions, with the total skyrocketing from 3,300 in 2010 to more than 236,000 in 2018.
Much of the spending went toward Narcan, the naloxone nasal spray that can treat opioid overdose in emergency situations. In 2010, almost every naloxone prescription was for a generic version of the drug. However, generic prescriptions made up only 11 percent of total naloxone prescriptions in 2018, with the rest being issued for Narcan.
More articles on opioids:
49 states file $2.15 trillion opioid epidemic lawsuit against Purdue Pharma
80% of Americans can’t accurately identify opioids, study finds
Opioid use disorder treatment inaccessible for many Appalachian patients, study finds
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