Pennsylvania remains “ground zero” for America’s opioid epidemic, according to a new report by Avalere Health, which found Pennsylvania is spending over $700,000 per case, well above the national average. In fact, opioid use disorder (OUD) now costs the Commonwealth $232 million per year. Nationally, the annual cost has surpassed $4 trillion.
As an organization on the front lines to help those with OUD and their families, we’re fully invested in helping end this epidemic through our Medication-Assisted Treatment and Outpatient Substance Abuse programs. But we also recognize that financial resources aren’t unlimited.
Fortunately, we now have more options to treat OUD sufferers. Avalere rightly points out that there are emerging forms of treatment, including long-acting injectables (LAI), which release medicine more slowly to provide sustained therapeutic effects. They’re also more cost-effective; one LAI, buprenorphine, could save as much as $295,000 per case if used in Pennsylvania, according to Avalere.
The Avalere report provides us with a roadmap for future care in the Commonwealth and evidence it's time for Pennsylvania to ensure it’s doing all that it can to end the opioid epidemic by providing a wide range of treatment solutions, including LAIs.