GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Recently-released state statistics show the number of opioid prescriptions handed out in the past two years has decreased.
64 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties filed a federal lawsuit against prescription drug-makers.
“The counties are bearing the brunt of of the cost of the (opioid) epidemic in the services they provide and they don’t have the ability to increase funds to pay for the additional services that are needed to provide for this opioid epidemic.”
Krista Baisch is representing the counties, noting one of the companies named in the suit (Purdue Pharma) says it’s no longer promoting opioids to prescribers.
“It is very clear that this litigation is taking major steps in the decrease of prescriptions on a national level and that has never been done before.”
Officials say there was a 20% decrease in opioid prescriptions dispensed from 2015 to 2017.
Though, the state Department of Health Services says opioid-related deaths increased from roughly 600 in 2016 to 827 in 2017.
