Signs of progress in fight against opioid deaths By HPN Staff A sharp drop in opioid overdose deaths during 2024 may be a sign that new approaches to pain management and prescriptions are working. Yet, the number of lives lost still remains historically high as the nation continues to struggle with the opioid crisis. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the number of deaths from opioid overdoses had fallen from an estimated 83,140 in 2023 to 54,743 in 2024. The 36% reduction in opioid-related deaths was part of an overall 27% reduction in drug overdose deaths generally, the CDC said. However, last year’s opioid overdose deaths remain 6% higher than pre-COVID levels in 2019 and 60% higher than 2015 levels, which is the earliest year available in a CDC dataset that accompanied the recent announcement. Why it matters The latest figures suggest federal and state health systems are still grappling with the human and economic costs of the opioid crisis, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars, according to multiple estimates. In recent years, the over-prescription of opioids has been the subject of more than a dozen major court cases. Settlements between U.S. states and drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies have totaled more than $50 billion, according to January 2025 data from the Congressional Research Service. One report estimates opioid use disorder costs the United States $4 trillion annually. Patients can become addicted to opioid painkillers because, in addition to dulling pain, the drugs produce feelings of euphoria, according to The Cleveland Clinic. If a patient’s access to opioid painkillers is abruptly cut off, they are at risk of feeding their addiction with other drugs that have similar pharmacological properties, including heroin and synthetic opioids like fentanyl. In cases where opioid painkillers still need to be prescribed, the CDC guidelines urge physicians to prepare tapering plans that reduce dosages “slow enough to minimize symptoms and signs of opioid withdrawal.” More details The drop in fatal opioid overdoses comes three years after the CDC updated its guidelines for prescribing this category of painkillers, emphasizing a more flexible, patient-centered approach instead of rigid dosage limits. The new approach urges medical professionals to find alternatives to opioid painkillers where they can, such as acetaminophen, anti-inflammatory drugs or nonpharmacological treatments like applying ice, elevating injuries and ordering rest. A separate dataset maintained by the CDC shows that the national opioid dispensing rate from retail pharmacies is on a downward trend, falling almost 20% between 2019 and 2023. Additional context The roots of the opioid crisis can be traced back to the 1990s, when doctors started prescribing more of the painkilling drugs “for non-cancer-related pain as well as for chronic pain, creating greater opportunities for addiction,” according to the Institute for Public Health and Medicine at Northwestern University. It continued to worsen during the 2000s and 2010s and was further exacerbated by the social disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The opioid crisis was declared a public health emergency in 2017 during the first Trump administration, and in March 2025 the public health emergency was renewed. “Although overdose deaths are starting to decline, opioid-involved overdoses remain the leading cause of drug-related fatalities,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
