Protega Pharma

Prescription Opioid Misuse and Abuse is a National Emergency

  • 9.3M annual nonmedical prescription opioid users1
  • 2.3M people aged > 12 had prescription opioid use disorder within the last year1
  • 0.6% of eighth graders, 0.5% of tenth graders, and 0.9% of twelfth graders reported misusing Vicodin within the last year2
  1. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2020. Available at: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2020-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases.
    Accessed 10/20/2026
  2. Monitoring the Future Survey. 2021. Available at: http://monitoringthefuture.org/data/21data/table2.pdf
    Accessed 10/20/2026

Prescription Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths Remain Nearly 4× 1999 Levels

Bar chart: National Overdose Deaths Involving Prescription Opioids, 1999–2023
National Institutes of Health 2025. Available at: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
Accessed 10/20/2026

Nonmedical Prescription Opioid Users Obtain Drugs from Friend or Family

Pie chart: where nonmedical prescription opioid users obtained the drugs
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2020. Available at: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/release/2020-national-survey-drug-use-and-health-nsduh-releases. HCP = Healthcare Provider
Accessed 10/20/2026