Research shows that, while U.S. opioid supply has declined since 2010, opioid overdose death rates have risen to new heights.

To combat the steadily rising opioid overdose death rates, researchers have started to analyze related data for trend that may reveal the source of the opioid epidemic. Researchers with American Action Forum recently analyzed data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Society for the Study of Addiction, as well as data from research journals including JAMA and The New England Journal Of Medicine.

The results of their analysis show that opioid overdose death rates have skyrocketed while U.S. prescription opioid supply has decreased. Three pieces of evidence in the analysis allegedly support this claim.

First, the nation’s supply of prescription opioids has decreased. Although the supply grew by 14.3% annually from 1999-2010, the prescription opioid supply has been decreasing by 4.3% annually from 2010-2016.

Second, despite decreased access to prescription opioids since 2010, the opioid overdose death rates have increased. From 1999-2010, the annual increase in opioid overdose death rates was 9.1%. From 2010-2016, the opioid overdose death rates have increased by 12.3 percent annually.

Third, rising opioid overdose death rates have included a rising death rate due to heroin and synthetic opioids. After 2010, annual growth of heroin death rates skyrocketed from 4.1% a year to a shocking 31.2%. Similarly, the synthetic opioid overdose death rates ballooned from a 13.7% increase per year to a 36.5% increase per year.

The American Action Forum, a center-right public policy advocacy group, believes that these trends reflect the growing presence of criminal organizations in the opioid industry.

“Transnational criminal organizations have been capitalizing on the nation’s rising opioid dependency by producing and distributing an abundant supply of these illicit and lethal opioids,” the researchers wrote in their analysis. “These findings suggest that combating the opioid epidemic requires a comprehensive approach, as the nation’s significant efforts to curb the availability of prescription opioids may have shifted demand to more potent, illegal opioids.”

The American Action Forum also names “widespread addiction, lower productivity, fewer workers in the labor market, and a number of poor health outcomes” as negative consequences along with rising opioid overdose death rates.

Their research allegedly suggests that the reformulation of OxyCotin in 2010 could be a major driving factor in the rising opioid overdose death rates. The researchers hypothesize that, with a limited supply of prescription opioids, people are turning to drugs such as heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil.

“While restrictions on prescription opioids appear to have slowed the growth in overdose fatalities involving those substances, the total number of opioid-involved overdose fatalities has accelerated due to staggering growth in overdose deaths involving heroin and synthetic opioids,” the analysis states.

If you or a loved one have been affected by the rising opioid overdose death rates, you may be eligible for legal action. An opioid addiction lawsuit could help recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of consortium, wrongful death, and more.

In general, opioid overdose death lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

If your loved died from an opioid overdose in the last three years from an addiction that began as a legal opioid prescription from his or her doctor, you may have a legal claim. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

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