UK opioid crisis fear as deaths rise by 50%

BRITAIN is in the grip of an opioid epidemic as soaring deaths are fuelled by the overprescription of powerful painkillers, a major report warns.

Deaths in England and Wales now top 2,000 a year – a 46 per cent rise over five years and one of the highest increases among all developed countries.

Campaigners say the UK is going down a ‘path to destruction’ as it faces a US-style crisis.

A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development yesterday said the Government must take decisive action and treat opioid addiction as a public health crisis. They said rising deaths are being

‘On the path to destruction’

driven by the over-prescription of opioids for pain management and the availability of the drugs on illegal internet sites.

The Mail has been campaigning for the Government to recognise the scale of Britain’s opioid crisis. Patients are often given drugs derived from opium, such as tramadol, morphine and fentanyl, after an operation.

The OECD report analysed opioid use in 25 countries. England and Wales had the seventh highest overall death rate, with America topping the list.

Campaigners called for alternative pain therapies such as acupuncture, yoga and exercise. However, GPs say doctors often feel they have no other option to prescribing opioids. Public Health England said its own public health review on the issue may be published within weeks.