July 30, 2020
AMA Releases Annual Opioid Task Force Report:
The American Medical Association’s (AMA) Opioid Task Force report, released on July 20, 2020, shows a dramatic increase in fatalities involving illicit opioids, stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine), heroin, and cocaine and a similarly dramatic drop in the use of prescription opioids. In Oregon, opioid prescribing decreased more than 40 percent from 2014 to 2018—from 3.7 million prescriptions to 2.2 million, respectively. Opioid prescriptions fell nationally by 37 percent.
As a sitting member organization of the task force, the OMA represents Oregon’s physicians and physician assistants in advising the AMA how to best combat the nation's overdose epidemic.
"There are three important takeaways from the report," says Amy Kerfoot, MD, the OMA's representative on the AMA Opioid Task Force. "First, while opioid prescribing has decreased, illicit fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin are fueling an epidemic that is claiming even more lives than did prescription opioids."
"Second," Kerfoot continues, "reductions in opioid supply and increases in PDMP (prescription drug monitoring program) use have not curbed the epidemic, unfortunately. In Oregon, PDMP queries have increased every year for the past six years. And third, the AMA endorses immediate, meaningful action to remove barriers to evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders, pain and harm reduction." |
Thread abonnieren
