The cost of opioid use disorder and the value of aversion

The objective of this study was twofold. First, to update and estimate the economic burden of opioid use disorder (OUD) to the U.S. from the perspectives of the healthcare sector, taxpayer, and society, overall and by age. Second, to estimate the mean present value of averting an OUD, overall and by age, for use in economic evaluations of prevention-focused interventions.

More than two-thirds of Americans don’t know how to properly dispose medications, new research reveals

Commissioned by Covanta and conducted by OnePoll in advance of the next National Prescription Drug Take Back Day in April, the study found nearly two-thirds (63%) of those surveyed dispose of old medications at home. For 59% of people, throwing old medications in the trash is an expedient way to dispose of old or expired medications, without giving much thought as to whether or not they will end up in a landfill. Likewise, 58% believe it’s fine to flush medications down the toilet or sink., where it can pollute water sources. To compound the issue, three out of four of those who dispose of medications in these ways do so despite knowing the potential environmental damage these methods pose to ground water and other water systems.

The Economic Toll of the Opioid Crisis Reached Nearly $1.5 Trillion in 2020

As a result of the pandemic, the U.S. health care system was disrupted, reducing access to substance abuse treatment and exacerbating social and economic stress that can worsen addiction. This contributed to a significant increase in the number of Americans diagnosed with opioid use disorder and in the number of fatal opioid overdoses.