CDC renews warning about fake prescription pills

WASHINGTON (WBAY) - A warning from U.S. health officials about fake prescription pills, saying they continue to fuel the opioid crisis.

Drug deaths in the country are climbing. Health officials say there were over 1,400 deaths in Wisconsin related to opioids in 2021, the last full year we have data available.

This is based on this month’s updated CDC report. Once again, the concern is fake prescription pills. Officials are renewing their warning.

They say overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills more than doubled between 2019 and 2021. The CDC says more than 105,000 people died from an overdose in the U.S. last year.

The Drug Enforcement Administration wants you to know how real this is. These fake pills are being sold illegally and, as we’ve reported, many have potentially deadly amounts of fentanyl.

The DEA says drug traffickers use fake pills to exploit the opioid crisis and the misuse of prescription drugs in the United States.

We first alerted you back in March the FDA approved the overdose-reversing nasal spray Narcan for over-the-counter sales without a prescription. It’s now showing up on store shelves.

Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.