Although numerous reports attribute fentanyl overdose deaths to illegally manufactured versions of the drug, new research shows that pharmaceutical fentanyl may be playing a significant role in the opioid crisis.
The study, presented this week at the American Public Health Association’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Expo found that 44 percent of people who died from fentanyl overdose had previously been prescribed fentanyl by a medical professional, and 37 percent of those people had a prescription for fentanyl within 60 days of their death.