Share of U.S. drug overdose deaths caused by fake prescription pills is growing

This photo provided by the U.S. Attorneys Office for Utah and introduced as evidence in a 2019 trial shows fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills collected during an investigation.

AP

U.S. public health officials are continuing to warn of a growing threat fueling the country’s historic opioid crisis: fake prescription pills.

The share of overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills more than doubled between mid-2019 and late 2021, and the percentage more than tripled in western states, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, overdose deaths that had evidence of fake pill use accounted for just 2% of fatalities between July and September of 2019. That figure jumped to 4.7% between October and December of 2021.

Those who died from overdoses with evidence of fake pill use — compared to overdoses without it — were more often younger, Hispanic or Latino and had misused prescription drugs in the past.

When looking at states in the west — including Arizona, Washington and Alaska — researchers found that the rate surged from 4.7% to 14.7% over that time period. The CDC says that’s a change for this region, which has historically seen less illegal white-powder fentanyl — a powerful opioid commonly found in counterfeit pills — because it’s difficult to mix with black tar heroin, which is more prevalent in the western U.S.

The report comes as drug deaths across the country remain at record highs, with the CDC estimating that more than 105,000 people fatally overdosed in 2022.

“The proliferation of counterfeit pills, which are not manufactured by…