In accordance with a new report, overdose deaths in the United States have reached an all-time high in recent years, and counterfeit drugs are responsible for a growing number of those deaths.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public safety caution around two years ago about an increase in fake prescription drugs tainted with fentanyl and methamphetamine.
As stated by the government, more than 9.5 million counterfeit drugs were recovered in 2021, more than the previous two years combined.
Overdose Deaths on Counterfeit Medication
Throughout the second half of 2019 and the end of 2021, fatal overdoses with signs of counterfeit pill use doubled.
According to the new data, nearly 5% of people who died from a drug overdose in the last few months of 2021 had evidence of using counterfeit pills.
In accordance with the CDC, illegally manufactured fentanyl was involved in nearly all overdose deaths containing evidence of fake pill use, including more than two out of each five deaths caused entirely by it.
Methamphetamine was identified in more than a quarter of the imitation medicine deaths, while cocaine and benzodiazepines were found in more than one out of every eight cases.
Many of these pharmaceuticals are made by gangs and illicit drug networks and disguised as prescription opioids like oxycodone or hydrocodone, or stimulants used to treat ADHD.
Read More: E. Coli Contamination Spurs Recall Of Close To 2,000 Pounds Of Ground Beef
Fake Pills Are Manufactured in Mexico
According to the new CDC study, more than three-quarters of the counterfeit pills involved in opioid overdose deaths were manufactured to resemble oxycodone.
In accordance with the DEA, Mexico manufactures the vast bulk of counterfeit pharmaceuticals trafficked into the United States.
The survey found that exposure to various types of counterfeit pills and drugs varies by area.
In recent studies, fentanyl-laced counterfeit tablets are “infiltrating drug markets in western US states.”
Overdose deaths caused by counterfeit medications have consistently been the most common in Western states, and they have risen faster than the national average in recent years, nearly tripling from approximately 5% in mid-2019 to over 15% by the end of 2021.
Read More: Stimulus Check Oversight: Millions Yet To Claim Their 2021 Payments, Here’s How To Claim