The number of deaths from prescription and illicit opioids sharply rose in 2015, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The epidemic of deaths involving opioids continues to worsen,” said CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden. “Prescription opioid misuse and use of heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl are intertwined and deeply troubling problems.”
A total of 33,091 people died from opioid overdose in the U.S. last year, passing 30,000 for the first time. A little more than half of those deaths involved prescription opioids, although death from prescription drugs rose only 4 percent.
Deaths from synthetic opioids, mostly fentanyl related, jumped by 73 percent to 9,580, and deaths attributed to heroin (12,990) went up 23 percent in 2015, the CDC said.
“The prescription opioid and heroin epidemic continues to devastate communities and families across the country — in large part because too many people still do not get effective substance use disorder treatment,” said Director of National Drug Control Policy Michael Botticelli.
The CDC announcement came on the heels of Congress passing the 21st Century Cures Act, which provides $1 billion in new funding that President Obama requested to combat the epidemic. The White House tweeted that the president would sign it next week.
