Oxycodone overdose deaths drop 25 percent after launch of program

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/uof-ood041515.php

Public Release: 15-Apr-2015
University of Florida

Oxycodone-related deaths dropped 25 percent after Florida implemented its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program in late 2011 as part of its response to the state's prescription drug abuse epidemic, according to a team of UF Health researchers. The drop in fatalities could stem from the number of health care providers who used the program's database to monitor controlled substance prescriptions.

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Oxycodone is a frequently abused pain reliever, and the rate of oxycodone-caused deaths in Florida increased 118.3 percent from 2007 to 2010. Death rates began to decline in 2010 due to a variety of factors, including the introduction of tamper-resistant oxycodone formulations, law enforcement crackdowns on pill mills, and Florida House Bill 7095, all of which led to the closure of hundreds of illegitimate pain clinics.

Nevertheless, the research team attributed an additional 25 percent decrease in oxycodone-related deaths directly to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, according to findings released in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence in March. Signed into law in 2009, Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program monitors individuals' controlled substance prescriptions and provides important and up-to-date data regarding prescribing trends in Florida.

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