USA. NIH-funded intervention did not impact opioid-related overdose death rates over evaluation period - COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly dangerous drug supply among factors that may have contributed to diminished impact of intervention
USA. NIH-funded intervention did not impact opioid-related overdose death rates over evaluation period - COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly dangerous drug supply among factors that may have contributed to diminished impact of intervention
intervention that engaged communities to rapidly deploy evidence-based practices to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths – such as increasing naloxone distribution and enhancing access to medication for opioid use disorder – did not result in a statistically significant reduction in opioid-related overdose death rates during the evaluation period, according to results from the National Institutes of Health’s HEALing (Helping to End Addiction Long-Term) Communities Study. Researchers identified the COVID-19 pandemic and increased prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit drug market – including in mixtures with cocaine and methamphetamine – as factors that likely weakened the impact of the intervention on reducing opioid-related overdose deaths. (NIH/NIDA, USA, 16.06.2024)
https://nida.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/2024/06/nih-funded-intervention-did-not-impact-opioid-related-overdose-death-rates-over-evaluation-period