Overdose deaths from synthetic opioids increased again in 2017, according to the CDC.
Between 2015 and 2016, deaths from synthetic opioids doubled. And the CDC says overdose deaths from the drugs rose from around 20,000 in 2016 to over 27,000 in 2017, based on initial counts — that's more than the total number of opioid deaths in 2013.
The CDC also says its seen an increase in new synthetic opioids that are stronger than fentanyl.
There might be some good news though. Blue Cross Blue Shield — an association of 36 independent insurance companies that claims to insure 1 in 3 Americans — says that opioid addiction diagnoses among its members dropped for the first time in 2017.
