2017 to 2022 noticed enhance in naloxone prescribing amongst adolescents, analysis reveals

From 2017 to 2022, there was a rise in naloxone prescribing amongst adolescents, with pediatricians accounting for an growing proportion of prescriptions disbursed, in line with a examine printed on-line Sept. 12 in Pediatrics.

Andrew Terranella, M.D., M.P.H., from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues used knowledge from the IQVIA Nationwide Prescription Audit Affected person Insights, representing 93 % of all prescriptions from all payers in the USA. Naloxone allotting developments have been described amongst youths aged 10 to 19 years over time.

The researchers discovered that 59,077 prescriptions for naloxone have been disbursed to youths aged 10 to 19 years from 2017 to 2022. There was a 669 % enhance in allotting charges, from 6.6 to 50.9 prescriptions per 100,000 adolescents; will increase have been seen annually. There was variation in spending by specialty and intercourse.

An growing proportion of prescriptions disbursed have been accounted for by pediatricians, with a 991 % enhance over six years. Industrial insurance coverage paid for 74 % of prescriptions. Low to no value sharing was seen for many prescriptions, however 20 and 6 % had out-of-pocket prices exceeding $25 and $75, respectively.

“Naloxone allotting to youth stays low however has elevated markedly from 2017 to 2022,” the authors write. “Pediatricians and different youth-serving clinicians can play an vital function in increasing entry to naloxone and hurt discount data by prescribing naloxone to all youth who’re in danger for overdose.”

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