WHY IS THIS? –

Aug. 7, 2023 – “Failing to use safe and lifesaving medications is devastating for people denied evidence-based care,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which partnered on the study.

Experts say stigma about addiction and lack of training among physicians and other medical workers often limits use of these drugs.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, when these medications are used in combination with counseling and other therapies, they help reduce cravings for high-risk street drugs like heroin and fentanyl. “Everyone who seeks treatment for an [opioid use disorder] should be offered access” to medications as well as other forms of treatments, the FDA concluded. 

READ@NPR