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. 2017 Feb 14:10:383-387.
doi: 10.2147/JPR.S129553. eCollection 2017.

Secular trends in opioid prescribing in the USA

Edmund J Pezalla  1 , David Rosen  2 , Jennifer G Erensen  2 , J David Haddox  3 , Tracy J Mayne  2
Affiliations

Secular trends in opioid prescribing in the USA

Edmund J Pezalla et al. J Pain Res. .

Abstract

Opioid abuse and misuse in the USA is a public health crisis. The use of prescription opioid analgesics increased substantially from 2002 through 2010, then plateaued and began to decrease in 2011. This study examined prescriptions of branded and generic immediate- and extended-release opioid analgesics from 1992 to 2016. This was juxtaposed against state and federal policies designed to decrease overutilization and abuse, as well as the launch of new opioid products, including opioids with abuse-deterrent properties (OADPs). The data indicate that these health policies, including the utilization and reimbursement of OADPs, have coincided with decreased opioid utilization. The hypothesis that OADPs will paradoxically increase opioid prescribing is not supported.

Keywords: OADP; legislation; opioids; prescription; utilization trends.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure EJP is a consultant. DR, JGE, JDH, and TJM are employees of Purdue Pharma L.P. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Opioid prescriptions dispensed by year with opioid launches, coverage legislation, PDMP adoption and major federal agency actions. Note: *Estimated. Data reported quarterly from first quarter 2011. Abbreviations: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; DEA, Drug Enforcement Administration; ER, extended release; ER/LA, extended-release and long-acting; FDA, US Food and Drug Administration; FL, Florida; IR, immediate release; MA, Massachusetts; MD, Maryland; ME, Maine; OADP, opioids with abuse-deterrent properties; PDMPs, prescription drug monitoring programs; REM, risk evaluation and mitigation strategy; WV, West Virginia; XR, Extended-Release.
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