By Tom Valentino, Digital Managing Editor
About 2.5 million US adults at least 18 years of age had an opioid use disorder (OUD) in 2021, but just 22% received medication-assisted treatment (MAT), according to a study released Monday by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The study also found that certain groups, including Black adults, women, unemployed individuals, and those in nonmetropolitan areas, were substantially less likely to receive MAT.
Findings were published in JAMA Network Open.
“Failing to use safe and lifesaving medications is devastating for people denied evidence-based care,” NIDA Director Nora Volkow, MD, said in a news release. “What’s more, it perpetuates opioid use disorder, prolongs the overdose crisis, and exacerbates health disparities in communities across the country.”
Researchers reviewed data from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is conducted annually by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey includes nationally representative data on prescription opioid use and misuse, OUD, and related substance use disorder treatments, including MAT, among US civilian, noninstitutionalized populations. Based on NSDUH data, about 2.5 million individuals in the US had an opioid use disorder in 2021, of which 36% received any form of SUD treatment and 22% of which received MAT.
The study also delivered the following findings:
- Among those who received MAT for OUD, 59% were men, 62% were at least 35 years of age, 58% were non-Hispanic White, and 58% lived in large metro areas.
- Adults with severe OUD were 5 times more likely to receive MAT than patients with mild or moderate OUD.
- Patients receiving SUD treatment by telehealth were about 38 times more likely to receive medications as part of their OUD treatment compared to those who received no care and those who received in-person treatment.
- Non-Hispanic White adults were 14 times more likely to receive MAT for OUD than non-Hispanic Black adults.
- Male patients were 6 times more likely to receive MAT than their female counterparts.
- Patients with full-time employment were 14 times more likely to receive MAT than those unemployed.
- Patients in large metro areas received MAT 3 times as frequently as those in rural areas.
“It is not a matter of whether we should address health disparities and inequities that many racial/ethnic minority groups face when trying to access substance use treatment. We must address these issues if we hope to reverse the trend of increasing drug overdose deaths,” said Christopher M. Jones, PharmD, MPH, DrPH, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, CDC, said in the release.
“Everyone should have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible and our goal is to help reduce health disparities and save lives.”
Dr Jones is a member of the 2024 Rx and Illicit Drug Summit advisory board. The Rx Summit is co-produced by HMP Global, the parent organization of Addiction Professional.