New drug adds to OD concerns

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says drug-overdose deaths hit the highest level ever recorded in the United States last year.

A DEA report obtained by The Associated Press shows heroin, fentanyl and other opioids continue to be the highest drug threat in the nation. The National Drug Threat Assessment was released Friday.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said last month that overdose deaths were rising very slowly and were beginning to level off. But he cautioned it was too soon to declare victory.

Preliminary figures show about 72,000 people died in 2017 from drug overdoses.

The report says federal officials are concerned that methamphetamine and cocaine are being seen at much higher levels in areas that haven’t historically been hotspots for those drugs.

Despite the rampant opioid abuse, the Food and Drug Administration approved a powerful new opioid Friday for use in health- care settings, rejecting criticism that it would inevitably be diverted to illicit use and cause more overdose deaths, The Washington Post reported.

The drug is five to 10 times more potent than pharmaceutical fentanyl. It is a 30-microgram pill form of sufentanil, a 34- year- old opioid commonly used after surgery and in emergency rooms.

Each pill, placed under the tongue for quick absorption, would have the same impact as five milligrams of intravenous morphine.