Opioid Use Disorder Plagues over 2 million Americans
The problem
The overprescribing of opioids has led to 11.5 million people misusing opioids. The total economic burden of prescription opioid misuse alone in the United States is $78.5 billion a year, which includes costs of healthcare, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement. The negative health and economic consequences of this opioid crisis demand solutions: 1) to reduce the number of new cases of opioid use disorder; and, 2) for better treatment of the 2+ million Americans suffering from Opioid Use Disorder (sometimes called “addiction” in the vernacular).
The Gap
The 2.4 MM Americans that have been diagnosed with OUD account for only 18% of individuals suffering from this disease. This gap in data may be due to the underdiagnosis of persons dependent on opioids but receiving high morphine equivalent (MME) prescriptions. Limited access to medically proven treatments for OUD may be another contributor.
Why Methadone?
There are multiple effective treatment options for Opioid Use Disorder. Verinetics has identified an unmet need to increase methadone take homes doses for a specific patient population that has found benefit from this therapy. Click here to learn more about the differences treatment options and what patients can benefit from DispenSecur™.
Methadone treatment barriers
SOCIAL STIGMA
The negative social stigma associated with addiction has prevented many individuals from seeking the treatment necessary to overcome it.
TIME
Methadone for opioid use disorder is only dispensed in Opioid Treatment Programs (OTPs), typically only during fixed operating hours. Current regulations make it extremely difficult for patients to access more than one dose of methadone at a time. Daily clinic attendance makes it difficult to maintain a job, especially when clinic hours are limited. Travel time is another barrier to staying in the treatment program.
MONEY
The cost of treatment isn’t always covered by insurance. Patients may not have the resources to cover daily travel and child care expenses.
Compelled by Our Mission?
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