CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Opioid abuse and related deaths in Wyoming have not reached the crisis levels of some other states, but remain a serious concern.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports a 2018 lawsuit filed by Wyoming against Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, says the state paid $2.29 million in additional Medicaid claims to treat opioid-related addiction from 2008 to 2017.
The newspaper reports the state saw a drastic increase in the number of deaths from opioid-related causes in 2003, while deaths due to illicit and prescription opioids went from a rate of 1.4 per 100,000 residents between 2003 and 2005 to 6.4 per 100,000 between 2008 and 2010.
The newspaper reported that between 2014 and 2016, Wyoming averaged 42 overdose deaths from opioids, with an average of 7.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
___
Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.