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Editorial
. 2020 Jul 7;173(1):59-60.
doi: 10.7326/M20-1210. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

When Epidemics Collide: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Opioid Crisis

William C Becker  1 , David A Fiellin  2
Affiliations
Editorial

When Epidemics Collide: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Opioid Crisis

William C Becker et al. Ann Intern Med. .

Abstract

COVID-19 could cause infection in persons with opioid use disorder, increase opioid overdose rates, reverse system-level gains in expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder, halt critical research, and prevent exacting legal reparations against opioid manufacturers. The authors call for urgent action to counteract these risks.

Keywords: COVID-19; Drug administration; Drug delivery; Drug therapy; Health care; Hospital medicine; Opioid addiction; Opioids; Research laboratories; Telemedicine.

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References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. America's drug overdose epidemic: data to action. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/injury/features/prescription-drug-overdose/index.html. on 20 March 2020.
    1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Save Lives. National Academies Pr; 2019. doi:10.17226/25310. - PubMed
    1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Opioid treatment program (OTP) guidance. Accessed at www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/otp-guidance-20200316.pdf. on 22 March 2020.
    1. Haffajee RL, Frank RG. Abuses of FDA regulatory procedures—the case of Suboxone. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:496-498. [PMID: 31914238] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1906680. - PubMed
    1. Drug Enforcement Administration. COVID-19 information page. Accessed at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/coronavirus.html. on 22 March 2020.

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