Observational studyBMJ open2024
State-level variation in distribution of oxycodone and opioid-related deaths from 2000 to 2021: an ecological study of ARCOS and CDC WONDER data in the USA.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Medical Cannabis and Opioid Receipt Among Adults With Chronic Pain.JAMA internal medicine · 2026Article
- Pharmacoepidemiology of Oxycodone in the USA: An Observational Study of ARCOS, Medicaid, and Medicare Drug Databases.Pharmacology research & perspectives · 2026Observational
- From Peak to Plunge: A Multi-Database Analysis of State-Level Disparities in Hydromorphone Use in the US.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Astrocytes and Astrocyte-Derived Extracellular Conduits in Opiate-Mediated Neurological Disorders.Cells · 2025Review
- Dynamic Changes in the Distribution of Hydrocodone and Oxycodone in Florida from 2006 to 2021.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study aims to characterise oxycodone's distribution and opioid-related overdoses in the USA by state from 2000 to 2021.
designThis is an observational study.
settingMore than 80 000 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2021 as the USA continues to struggle with an opioid crisis. Prescription opioids play a substantial role, introducing patients to opioids and providing a supply of drugs that can be redirected to those seeking to misuse them.
methodsThe Drug Enforcement Administration annual summary reports from the Automation of Reports and Consolidated Orders System provided weights of oxycodone distributed per state by business type (pharmacies, hospitals and practitioners). Weights were converted to morphine milligram equivalents (MME) per capita and normalised for population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging ONline Data for Epidemiologic Research provided mortality data for heroin, other opioids, methadone, other synthetic narcotics and other/unspecified narcotics.
resultsThere was a sharp 280.13% increase in total MME/person of oxycodone from 2000 to 2010, followed by a slower 54.34% decrease from 2010 to 2021. Florida (2007-2011), Delaware (2003-2020) and Tennessee (2012-2021) displayed consistent and substantial elevations in combined MME/person compared with other states. In the peak year (2010), there was a 15-fold difference between the highest and lowest states. MME/person from only pharmacies, which constituted >94% of the total, showed similar results. Hospitals in Alaska (2000-2001, 2008, 2010-2021), Colorado (2008-2021) and DC (2000-2011) distributed substantially more MME/person over many years compared with other states. Florida stood out in practitioner-distributed oxycodone, with an elevation of almost 15-fold the average state from 2006 to 2010. Opioid-related deaths increased +806% from 2000 to 2021, largely driven by heroin, other opioids and other synthetic narcotics.
conclusionsOxycodone distribution across the USA showed marked differences between states and business types over time. Investigation of opioid policies in states of interest may provide insight for future actions to mitigate opioid misuse.
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