HHS Secretary Azar Says the Opioid Crisis Has Reached a Plateau

In a speech at the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II gave statistics that indicate a plateau - albeit a high one - in the rate of opioid-related deaths in the United States.

"Most important of all, we are starting to see more encouraging results in overdose trends," he said. "The number of Americans dying from drug overdoses has risen steadily since 1999, and skyrocketed since 2010. From 2016 to 2017, the number of Americans dying from drug overdoses rose from 64,000 to approximately 72,000.

"But toward the end of 2017, through the beginning of 2018, the number of drug overdose deaths has begun to plateau," he said.

"According to provisional data from the CDC, the seemingly relentless trend of rising overdose deaths seems to be finally bending in the right direction. Plateauing at such a high level is hardly an opportunity to declare victory. But the concerted efforts of communities across America are beginning to turn the tide." (See Azar A. Innovation and progress in the fight against opioid addiction. October 23, 2018. https://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/secretary/speeches/2018-speeches/innovation.)