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Washington's supply of opioid meds is well above average, study finds

Written by Bicycle Health | Jun 23, 2023 10:54:01 PM

Access to medications for opioid use disorder can be much harder to find in some states than others, a recent survey found. But Washington has a better supply than most.

Why it matters: The opioid epidemic has had an enormous human toll, with nearly 80,000 reported opioid-involved drug overdose deaths in the U.S. last year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But federal data shows only slightly more than one in 10 people with opioid use disorder receive medication for it.

Driving the news: Nationally, 57.9% of more than 5,200 pharmacies in 32 states reported having Suboxone, which contains buprenorphine and naloxone, in stock, according to the Bicycle Health Medical Group study published last month in JAMA Network Open.

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