Crisis Point: Prevention and Treatment in the Evolving Opioid Epidemic

Our mini-docuseries has returned, taking a comprehensive look at public health crises affecting the United States today, with global implications tomorrow. If the crisis point is the moment where a crisis will worsen or begin to get better, the question remains: where are we now?

The Opioid Epidemic: Trying to Turn the Tide on an Evolving Issue

This episode examines the growing and evolving opioid crisis, a public health emergency that has claimed more than half a million lives over the past 2 decades in the United States.

What began as a prescribing-driven epidemic has evolved into a more complex crisis fueled by the proliferation of illicit synthetic opioids, persistent gaps in access to treatment, and social determinants that drive vulnerability to substance use disorder.

Prescribing practices have begun to change in recent years, with opioid prescriptions decreasing by 49.4% nationwide since 2012.1 This shift is supported by emerging research and is important for addressing the public health crisis, as prescription opioids are no longer the primary driver in developing OUD but can still play significant role in its development.

Other efforts to curb the crisis have included expanding access to naloxone and improving options and access for medication-assisted therapy for opioid use disorder, and approvals such as suzetrigine, a non-opioid pain option, and a labeling expansion of buprenorphine for treating opioid use disorder (OUD).2,3 These advances continue to shape the care landscape along with advocacy and regulatory reforms, although barriers to progress remain.4 Notably, naloxone prescription rates have remained low even for individuals at risk of OUD.

Part 1 of this episode of Crisis Point delves into the complex challenges surrounding OUD, exploring how the opioid crisis has evolved and grown in recent years and how new pharmaceuticals and prescribing regimens may be helping to turn the tide.

Brief descriptions of the speakers featured in this project are provided below:

Angel Goenawan, MD, hospitalist at Bayhealth in Delaware

Bobby Mukkamala, MD president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) and chair of the AMA’s Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force

Michele J. Buonora, MD, MS, MSHS, assistant professor of medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Einstein

Shoshana Herzig, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

For more video content, visit our Crisis Point page to see other episodes on improving health equity in eye care, disparities in cardiovascular health, insulin access in the United States, physician burnout across healthcare, and the ongoing obesity crisis.

REFERENCES

1. AMA Substance Use and Pain Care Task Force recommendations. Webpage. AMA. 2025. https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/nation-s-overdose-epidemic/ama-substance-use-and-pain-care-task-force

2. U.S. Overdose Deaths Decrease in 2023, First Time Since 2018. Webpage. CDC. May 15, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2024/20240515.htm

3. Office of the Commissioner. FDA approves novel non-opioid treatment for moderate to severe acute pain. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. January 30, 2025. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-novel-non-opioid-treatment-moderate-severe-acute-pain.

4. Indivior Announces FDA Approval of Label Changes for SUBLOCADE® (buprenorphine extended-release) Injection. PR Newswire. February 24, 2025. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/indivior-announces-fda-approval-of-label-changes-for-sublocade-buprenorphine-extended-release-injection-302382920.html. Accessed February 24, 2025.