STAT Plus: Opioid-overdose prescriptions may go unfilled due to the cost

Although naloxone is widely regarded as an effective antidote for reversing opioid overdoses, a new study suggests that the cost of the medication has dissuaded people from filling prescriptions.

Among 5.2 million people who were prescribed an opioid painkiller, 12% were considered to be at a high risk for an overdose, but only 0.5% of them filled a prescription for naloxone. Meanwhile, the average out-of-pocket cost was nearly triple for an opioid, according to the study published in Drug Safety.

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