Medicaid prescriptions for naloxone skyrocketed in the past decade

Prescriptions of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone increased by more than 70-fold in recent years, according to new research from the Urban Institute. Here's more from the study, which looked at prescriptions covered by Medicaid between 2010-2018:

• Overall trends: There was a 71-fold increase in naloxone prescriptions, from around 3,300 in 2010 to more than 236,000 eight years later, with the most dramatic increase happening from 2016 onward. 
• By type: Almost every prescription in 2010 was for generic naloxone, but it made up only 11% of prescriptions in 2018. In contrast, Narcan, the branded version of naloxone, made up the rest of 2018's prescriptions. 
• By spending: Medicaid spending on naloxone products increased 136-fold during the study duration, going from $110,000 in 2010 to nearly $15 million in 2018, most notably for the Narcan nasal spray.