Recent studies point to the widespread, devastating impact of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
© Jamar Coach / Jackson Sun /© Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Undated) – The devastating impact of the opioid epidemic continues to rear its ugly head, with new data coming out all the time. The latest is a study from the journal JAMA Psychiatry. It found that more than 320,000 children have lost at least one parent to drug overdose — during the period between 2011 and 2021.
The same study says close to 650,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 64 died from drug overdose over the same time period. Two in every three were men.
Back in late February, a study from the RAND Corporation determined 42% of all adults in the US known at least one person who died from drug overdose. All the while, efforts are underway to limit the loss of life from opioid overdose. New Jersey’s Amneal Pharmaceuticals partnered with California to buy up a generic version of Narcan (the overdose drug) at a 40% lower bulk rate. The drug is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose and has been shown to save lives.
Xyalzine is another drug causing problems nationwide — especially in Philadelphia’s Kensington neighborhood. The drug is actually a horse tranquilizer but is a popular street drug. It causes user’s flesh to rot, leading to horrific wounds. Research underway at Scripps Research in La Jolla say they are working on a vaccine that would fight the drug’s effects.
