The opioid crisis made headlines this month as a US federal judge conditionally approved a settlement that would see $10 billion directed to fighting the opioid crisis. The settlement would also take ownership of Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, out of the hands of the Sackler family. Half a million Americans have died from opioid poisoning in the past two decades.
The pandemic has erased progress seen in Canada. According to CIHI figures reported in MacLeans magazine, opioid-related deaths in 2020 were more than double what they were in 2016.
| 2016 | 2,825 |
| 2017 | 3,916 |
| 2018 | 4,839 |
| 2019 | 3,830 |
| 2020 | 6,214 |
MacLeans also compares COVID-19 deaths in one week last summer to opioid deaths.
| Opioids | COVID-19 |
| 207 | 80 |
Opioid poisoning is a complex problem.
Empire Life vice-president of Group Product and Marketing, Vanessa Lycos, discusses how the Express Scripts Canada Opioid Management Solution is part of the solution, in a recent Benefits Canada article.
Opioid poisoning is a complex problem.
Empire Life vice-president of Group Product and Marketing, Vanessa Lycos, discusses how the Express Scripts Canada Opioid Management Solution is part of the solution, in a recent Benefits Canada article.