A new intelligence report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revealed that hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills that contain deadly amounts of fentanyl and its related compounds have made their way into the US market.
Nationwide reports claim that the higher fentanyl availability has resulted in seizures and known overdose deaths since the drug was formulated in 1959.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, which when legitimately administered is used to treat pain.
Additionally, DEA said that the expanded availability of illicit fentanyl pills will result in more individuals dependent on the drug, overdoses and deaths.
DEA reports that Chinese laboratories are producing the chemical and marketing them to traffickers in Mexico, Canada and the US.
Opioid abuse has become a major concern for US workplaces. Insurer Wells Fargo estimated in a report that nonmedical use of opioid pain relievers costs health plans up to $72 billion every year.
Further, the American Society of Addiction Medicine projected that abuse of the drug costs employers approximately $10 billion from absenteeism and presenteeism alone.
A Castlight Health 2016 report that opioid abusers cost employers an average of nearly $20,000 annually in medical expenses, compared with around $11,000 for non-abusers.
