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News Release

Most Prescriptions for Opioid Addiction Medication Buprenorphine Are Written by a Small Number of Providers

Jun 1, 2021

Half of all patient-months of buprenorphine treatment during 2016 and 2017 were prescribed by just 4.9% of the physicians and other providers who prescribed the drug during the period.
Commentary

Australia Contained COVID-19 Early On. Can It Do the Same with Synthetic Opioids?

Apr 30, 2021

Australia is at risk of a fentanyl problem, but it is better prepared than North America. If the country can make the same kind of concerted effort it did to keep COVID-19 at bay, that could save thousands of lives.

Explore Opioids

Journal Article

Concentration of Patient Care Among Buprenorphine-Prescribing Clinicians in the U.S.

Drawing on national retail pharmacy data, researchers identified and categorized clinicians who prescribed buprenorphine for OUD at least once between January 2017 and December 2018.

Jun 10, 2021
Blog

Sexual Assault in the Military, School Security, Mental Health Care: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the risk of sexual assault to sexual minorities in the U.S. military, making treatment more accessible to people struggling with opioid addiction, countering Russian propaganda, and more.

Jun 4, 2021
Journal Article

Toward a Typology of Office-based Buprenorphine Treatment Laws: Themes from a Review of State Laws

Buprenorphine is a gold standard treatment for opioid use disorder. Some states have passed laws regulating office-based buprenorphine treatment, with requirements beyond those required in federal law. This study identified themes in state laws.

May 26, 2021
Periodical

RAND Review: May-June 2021

The cover story highlights the value of invention, analyzing the economic and social impacts of winners of the Lemelson-MIT Prize. A second feature focuses on human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China and what we know from satellite images.

May 6, 2021
Journal Article

Clinician Perspectives on Methadone Service Delivery and the Use of Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

To explore the impact of the pandemic and accompanying policy changes on service delivery, we asked OTP clinicians about changes in care patterns and perceptions of impacts on access and quality.

May 5, 2021
Journal Article

Opioid Misuse During Late Adolescence and Its Effects on Risk Behaviors, Social Functioning, Health, and Emerging Adult Roles

We examined the association of opioid misuse from ages 18 to 20 with four domains at age 21–22: risk behaviors and consequences; health; social functioning; and emerging adult roles.

Apr 28, 2021
Journal Article

Growing Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Buprenorphine Distribution in the United States, 2007–2017

We find ecological evidence consistent with racial/ethnic disparities in buprenorphine distribution. Our finding that initiatives to increase the number of waivered prescribers are insufficient to achieve equitable buprenorphine access.

Apr 27, 2021
Journal Article

Prescribers and Naloxone Pharmacy Claims

Commentary on an article by Truong, Patil, and Rich, on the benefits and dangers of naloxone prescriptions.

Apr 13, 2021
Journal Article

The Evolving Consequences of OxyContin Reformulation on Drug Overdoses

In this paper, we find that over a longer time horizon, OxyContin reformulation stimulated illicit drug markets to grow and evolve.

Mar 17, 2021
Journal Article

Multiplying the Impact of Opioid Settlement Funds by Investing in Primary Prevention

In this Perspective, we describe three strategies hospitals can use to multiply the reach of their opioid settlement funding by addressing root causes of opioid use through primary prevention.

Mar 17, 2021
Journal Article

Is the Rise in Illicit Opioids Affecting Labor Supply and Disability Claiming Rates?

Researchers examined how increased use of illicit opioids such as heroin and fentanyl affected labor market participation and claims for disability insurance.

Mar 10, 2021
Journal Article

Heroin Use Cannot Be Measured Adequately with a General Population Survey

Here we explore the important case of using General Population Surveys to estimate frequent heroin use.

Mar 5, 2021
Journal Article

Individual and Community Factors Associated with Naloxone Co-prescribing Among Long-term Opioid Patients: A Retrospective Analysis

This retrospective analysis examines naloxone co-prescribing in the general population and assess how co-prescribing varies by individual and community characteristics.

Feb 19, 2021
Journal Article

Patient, Prescriber, and Community Factors Associated with Filled Naloxone Prescriptions Among Patients Receiving Buprenorphine 2017–18

This retrospective analysis examines filled naloxone prescriptions among patients receiving buprenorphine treatment and assesses how rates of filled naloxone prescriptions varies by patient, prescriber, and community characteristics.

Feb 19, 2021
Journal Article

Racial/ethnic Differences in Prescription Opioid Misuse and Heroin Use Among a National Sample, 1999–2018

We compared relative prevalences across 6 racial/ethnic groups for prescription opioid misuse analyses and 4 racial/ethnic groups for heroin analyses.

Feb 19, 2021
Multimedia

The Opioid Crisis and State & Federal Policies: It’s More Complicated Than You Think

In this video, Bradley Stein presents an exploration of recent federal and state policies related to the opioid crisis and the sometimes unanticipated consequences.

Feb 19, 2021
Multimedia

Opioid Litigation: What's New, and What Does It Mean for Future Litigation?

More than 2,000 plaintiffs have joined the largest civil trial in U.S. history: National Prescription Opiate Litigation (MDL 2804). In this virtual symposium, experts discuss the opioid litigation and its effects on the future of mass litigation.

Feb 9, 2021
Multimedia

RAND Remote: High Stakes, Fostering Innovation to Stem the Tide of America's Drug Problems

In this RAND Remote presentation, Beau Kilmer discusses how RAND is identifying and evaluating innovative approaches to tackle some of America's most pressing drug problems and help strengthen and safeguard communities.

Jan 28, 2021

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