Prescription opioid injection among young people who inject drugs in New York City: a mixed-methods description and associations with hepatitis C virus infection and overdose.

AIM: Evidence is emerging that prescription opioid (PO) injection is associated with increased health risks. This mixed-methods study compares the mechanics of PO and heroin injection and examines the demographic and drug-related correlates of lifetime PO injection in a sample of young people who inject drugs (PWID) in New York City (NYC). METHODS: Qualitative analysis of 46 semi-structured interviews with young adult opioid users ages 18-32. Interview segments describing PO injection were analyzed for common themes. Quantitative analysis of structured interviews with 539 young adult opioid users ages 18-29 recruited via respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Analyses are based on the subsample of 353 participants (65%) who reported having ever injected drugs. All variables were assessed via self-report, except hepatitis C virus status, which was established via rapid antibody testing. RESULTS: Participants described injecting POs and reported that preparing abuse-deterrent pills for injection is especially cumbersome, requiring extended manipulation and large amounts of water. Injecting POs, in contrast to injecting heroin, requires repeated injections per injection episode. Among RDS-recruited participants, the majority of injectors reported injecting POs, sporadically (33%) or regularly (26%), but often infrequently (≤ 7 days/month). In separate multivariable analyses controlling for syringe- and cooker-sharing, ever injecting POs was a significant predictor of testing HCV antibody-positive (AOR = 2.97) and lifetime experience of non-fatal overdose (AOR = 2.51). Ever injecting POs was independently associated with lifetime homelessness (AOR = 2.93) and having grown up in a middle-income ($51,000-100,000/year vs. ≤ $50,000/year; AOR = 1.86) or a high-income household (> $100,000/year vs. ≤ $50,000/year; AOR = 2.54). CONCLUSIONS: Even in an urban environment like NYC with widespread heroin access, most young PWID have injected POs, although less frequently than heroin. PO injection involves practices that are known to increase risk for blood-borne viral infection (e.g., repeated injections) and predicted testing HCV-positive, as well as overdose. PO injection may also serve as a marker for a subgroup of PWID at elevated risk for multiple drug use-related comorbidities. Programs that provide prevention services to PWID need to tailor harm reduction measures and messaging to the specific practices and harms associated with the injection of POs.

Increases in Acute Hepatitis C Virus Infection Related to a Growing Opioid Epidemic and Associated Injection Drug Use, United States, 2004 to 2014.

OBJECTIVES: To compare US trends in rates of injection drug use (IDU), specifically opioid injection, with national trends in the incidence of acute HCV infection to assess whether these events correlated over time. METHODS: We calculated the annual incidence rate and demographic and risk characteristics of reported cases of acute HCV infection using surveillance data from 2004 to 2014 and the annual percentage of admissions to substance use disorder treatment facilities reporting IDU for the same time period by type of drug injected and demographic characteristics. We then tested for trends. RESULTS: The annual incidence rate of acute HCV infection increased more than 2-fold (from 0.3 to 0.7 cases/100 000) from 2004 to 2014, with significant increases among select demographic subgroups. Admissions for substance use disorder attributed to injection of heroin and prescription opioid analgesics increased significantly, with an almost 4-fold increase in prescription opioid analgesic injection. Significant increases in opioid injection mirrored those for reported cases of acute HCV infection among demographic subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings strongly suggest that the national increase in acute HCV infection is related to the country's opioid epidemic and associated increases in IDU.

Characteristics of Fentanyl Overdose - Massachusetts, 2014-2016.

Opioid overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased 150% from 2012 to 2015 (1). The proportion of opioid overdose deaths in the state involving fentanyl, a synthetic, short-acting opioid with 50-100 times the potency of morphine, increased from 32% during 2013-2014 to 74% in the first half of 2016 (1-3). In April 2015, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and CDC reported an increase in law enforcement fentanyl seizures in Massachusetts, much of which was believed to be illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) (4). To guide overdose prevention and response activities, in April 2016, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner collaborated with CDC to investigate the characteristics of fentanyl overdose in three Massachusetts counties with high opioid overdose death rates. In these counties, medical examiner charts of opioid overdose decedents who died during October 1, 2014-March 31, 2015 were reviewed, and during April 2016, interviews were conducted with persons who used illicit opioids and witnessed or experienced an opioid overdose. Approximately two thirds of opioid overdose decedents tested positive for fentanyl on postmortem toxicology. Evidence for rapid progression of fentanyl overdose was common among both fatal and nonfatal overdoses. A majority of interview respondents reported successfully using multiple doses of naloxone, the antidote to opioid overdose, to reverse suspected fentanyl overdoses. Expanding and enhancing existing opioid overdose education and prevention programs to include fentanyl-specific messaging and practices could help public health authorities mitigate adverse effects associated with overdoses, especially in communities affected by IMF.

Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths--United States, 2000-2014.

The United States is experiencing an epidemic of drug overdose (poisoning) deaths. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (opioid pain relievers and heroin). CDC analyzed recent multiple cause-of-death mortality data to examine current trends and characteristics of drug overdose deaths, including the types of opioids associated with drug overdose deaths. During 2014, a total of 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States, representing a 1-year increase of 6.5%, from 13.8 per 100,000 persons in 2013 to 14.7 per 100,000 persons in 2014. The rate of drug overdose deaths increased significantly for both sexes, persons aged 25-44 years and ≥55 years, non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks, and in the Northeastern, Midwestern, and Southern regions of the United States. Rates of opioid overdose deaths also increased significantly, from 7.9 per 100,000 in 2013 to 9.0 per 100,000 in 2014, a 14% increase. Historically, CDC has programmatically characterized all opioid pain reliever deaths (natural and semisynthetic opioids, methadone, and other synthetic opioids) as "prescription" opioid overdoses (1). Between 2013 and 2014, the age-adjusted rate of death involving methadone remained unchanged; however, the age-adjusted rate of death involving natural and semisynthetic opioid pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids, other than methadone (e.g., fentanyl) increased 9%, 26%, and 80%, respectively. The sharp increase in deaths involving synthetic opioids, other than methadone, in 2014 coincided with law enforcement reports of increased availability of illicitly manufactured fentanyl, a synthetic opioid; however, illicitly manufactured fentanyl cannot be distinguished from prescription fentanyl in death certificate data. These findings indicate that the opioid overdose epidemic is worsening. There is a need for continued action to prevent opioid abuse, dependence, and death, improve treatment capacity for opioid use disorders, and reduce the supply of illicit opioids, particularly heroin and illicit fentanyl.

Identification and Linkage to Care of HCV-Infected Persons in Five Health Centers - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2012-2014.

Approximately three million persons in the United States are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a blood-borne pathogen that is an increasing cause of liver disease and mortality in the United States. Treatments for HCV are curative, of short duration, and have few associated side effects, increasing the importance of identifying HCV-infected persons. Many persons with HCV infection were infected decades ago, before implementation of prevention measures and most are unaware of their infection, regardless of when it occurred. Most newly diagnosed cases are associated with injection drug use. Persons born during 1945-1965 have a fivefold higher risk of HCV infection than other adults and the highest risk for HCV-related morbidity and mortality. CDC recommends testing for this group, for persons who inject drugs, and others at risk for HCV infection. From October 2012 through July 2014, the National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC) carried out a project to integrate routine HCV testing and linkage-to-care in five federally qualified health centers in Philadelphia, PA, that primarily serve homeless persons and public housing residents. During the project period, 4,514 patients across the five centers were tested for HCV. Of these, 595 (13.2%) were HCV-antibody positive and 550 (92.4%) had a confirmatory HCV-RNA test performed. Of those who had a confirmatory HCV-RNA test performed, 390 (70.9%) were identified as having current (i.e., chronic) HCV infection (overall prevalence = 8.6%). Of those currently infected with HCV, 90% were informed of their status, 78% were referred to an HCV care specialist, and 62% went to the referred specialist for care. Replicable system modifications that improved HCV testing and care included enhancements to electronic medical records (EMRs), simplification of HCV testing protocols, and addition of a linkage-to-care coordinator. Findings from this project highlight the need for innovative strategies for HCV testing, care, and treatment, as well as the important role of community health centers in expanding access for patient populations disproportionately affected by HCV infection.

Increases in hepatitis C virus infection related to injection drug use among persons aged ≤30 years - Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, 2006-2012.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most common blood-borne infection in the United States, with approximately three million persons living with current infection. Percutaneous exposure to contaminated blood is the most efficient mode of transmission, and in the United States, injection drug use (IDU) is the primary risk factor for infection. State surveillance reports from the period 2006-2012 reveal a nationwide increase in reported cases of acute HCV infection, with the largest increases occurring east of the Mississippi River, particularly among states in central Appalachia. Demographic and behavioral data accompanying these reports show young persons (aged ≤30 years) from nonurban areas contributed to the majority of cases, with about 73% citing IDU as a principal risk factor. To better understand the increase in acute cases of HCV infection and its correlation to IDU, CDC examined surveillance data for acute case reports in conjunction with analyzing drug treatment admissions data from the Treatment Episode Data Set-Admissions (TEDS-A) among persons aged ≤30 years in four states (Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia) for the period 2006-2012. During this period, significant increases in cases of acute HCV infection were found among persons in both urban and nonurban areas, with a substantially higher incidence observed each year among persons residing in nonurban areas. During the same period, the proportion of treatment admissions for opioid dependency increased 21.1% in the four states, with a significant increase in the proportion of persons admitted who identified injecting as their main route of drug administration (an increase of 12.6%). Taken together, these increases indicate a geographic intersection among opioid abuse, drug injecting, and HCV infection in central Appalachia and underscore the need for integrated health services in substance abuse treatment settings to prevent HCV infection and ensure that those who are infected receive medical care.

Risk factors for HCV infection among young adults in rural New York who inject prescription opioid analgesics.

OBJECTIVES: We investigated a cluster of new hepatitis C cases in rural New York among a cohort of young people who inject drugs (PWID) and misuse prescription opioid analgesics (POA). METHODS: We recruited a purposive sample of PWID from Cortland County for an in-person survey and HCV rapid antibody test (March-July 2012). We examined sociodemographics, drugs currently injected, and lifetime and recent injection behaviors to ascertain associations with HCV antibody (anti-HCV) positivity. RESULTS: Of 123 PWID, 76 (61.8%) were younger than 30 years, and 100 (81.3%) received HCV rapid testing. Of those tested, 34 (34.0%) were positive. Participants who reported injecting POA in the past 12 months were 5 times more likely to be anti-HCV positive than those who injected drugs other than POA, and participants who reported sharing injection equipment in the past 12 months were roughly 4 times more likely to be anti-HCV positive than those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests people injecting POA may be at higher risk for HCV infection than people who inject heroin or other drugs but not POA.

"To share or not to share?" Serosorting by hepatitis C status in the sharing of drug injection equipment among NHBS-IDU2 participants.

BACKGROUND: Persons who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for acquiring hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are 17 000 new infections per year, mainly among PWID. This study examines injection equipment serosorting-considering HCV serostatus when deciding whether and with whom to share injection equipment. OBJECTIVE: To examine whether injection equipment serosorting is occurring among PWID in selected cities. METHODS: Using data from the National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System-Injection Drug Users (NHBS-IDU2, 2009), we developed multivariate logistic regression models to examine the extent to which participants' self-reported HCV status is associated with their injection equipment serosorting behavior and knowledge of last injecting partner's HCV status. RESULTS: Participants who knew their HCV status were more likely to know the HCV status of their last injecting partner, compared to those who did not know their status (HCV+: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.1, 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4-4.9; HCV-: aOR 2.5, 95% CI, 2.0-3.0). Participants who reported being HCV+, relative to those of unknown HCV status, were 5 times more likely to share injection equipment with a partner of HCV-positive status (aOR 4.8, 95% CI, 3.9-6.0). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis suggests PWID are more likely to share injection equipment with persons of concordant HCV status.

Use of fentanyl test strips by people who inject drugs: Baseline findings from the South Atlantic Fentanyl Test Strip Study (SAFTSS).

BACKGROUND: Research published during the early fentanyl period exposed a growing concern of unwitting fentanyl exposure and a general willingness to use fentanyl test strips (FTS). A paucity of FTS studies over the last several years has restricted our ability to understand FTS use in the late fentanyl era. The South Atlantic FTS Study (SAFTSS) was established to investigate contemporaneous changes in FTS use and drug use behavior among a rural cohort of PWID. METHODS: Between June 2021 and March 2022, a total of 541 PWID completed an in-person survey. Baseline survey questions included demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, and drugs used. FTS questions covered lifetime use, past 6-months, and past 30-day use and included reasons for using FTS, levels of access, and confidence testing illicit opioids and stimulants. Multivariable analyses examined significant baseline correlates of lifetime and 30-day FTS use. RESULTS: Overall, more than half (58%; N=315) used FTS in their lifetime. Among lifetime FTS users, almost half (47%) used FTS in the past 6 months and 30% in the past 30 days, with an average of 13 months from last FTS use and the baseline survey. The most common reason for not using FTS was "not having them with me when I use drugs." Less frequent reasons were "I already know it's fentanyl" followed by "FTS take too much time to use." Among past 30-day FTS users, 74% used FTS on heroin, 55% on methamphetamine, and 33% on fentanyl. Consumer confidence using FTS was higher with illicit opioids (66%) but lower for methamphetamine (43%). In both the lifetime and past 30-day models, PWID with FTS use were more likely than non-users to have witnessed an overdose in the past six months (lifetime aOR = 2.85, p<.001; 30-day aOR=2.57, p<.01). Virtually no differences in drug use behaviors were found when comparing past 30-days FTS use to no FTS use. Women (aOR=1.68, p<.05) and non-white PWID (aOR=2.43, p<.05) were more likely than men and white PWID to have used FTS. CONCLUSIONS: Declines in FTS use are consistent with what syringe services programs have been signaling for years. Needs assessments to gauge interest in FTS before scaling up can help ensure funding better spent on naloxone and syringes is not allocated to idle FTS. Increased FTS among women and racial minorities presents opportunities for tailored interventions. Recognizing trauma associated with witnessing overdoses as a growing component of the opioid epidemic is a critical first step toward addressing the full spectrum of drug-related harm.

Associations between opioid overdose deaths and drugs confiscated by law enforcement and submitted to crime laboratories for analysis, United States, 2014-2019: an observational study.

Background: The overdose epidemic in the United States (US) continues to generate unprecedented levels of mortality. There is urgent need for a national data system capable of yielding high-quality, timely, and actionable information on existing and emerging drugs. Public health researchers have started using law enforcement forensic laboratory data to obtain surveillance information on illicit drugs. This study is the first to use drug reports from the entire US to examine correlations between a changing drug supply and increasing opioid-involved overdose deaths (OOD) on a national scale. Methods: This study is observational and investigates associations between law enforcement drug reports and OOD for the US from 2014 to 2019. OOD data are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System restricted-use multiple cause of death files. The US Drug Enforcement Administration's National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS) contains forensic laboratory-tested drug exhibit information for the entire US (NFLIS-Drug). Counts of forensic laboratory reports and OOD were aggregated for each state by month, quarter, and year. A difference-in-differences framework was used to estimate contemporaneous and lagged associations. Findings: Between 2014 and 2019 in the US, 249,522 OOD were reported, with the annual number nearly doubling from 28,723 to 50,179. OOD involving illicitly manufactured fentanyls (IMF) also increased substantially during this period, from 19.4% to 72.9%. In addition, 3,817,438 forensic laboratory reports in the US that were reported to NFLIS-Drug contained an opioid, stimulant, or benzodiazepine. Reports of fentanyl and fentanyl-related compounds (FFRC) had the strongest association with OOD. Each additional FFRC exhibit was associated with a 2.97% (95% CI: 1.7%, 4.1%) increase in OOD per 100,000 persons per quarter. Interpretation: Adding to the emerging consensus, protracted growth in IMF supply was more strongly associated with OOD than all other illicit drugs reported to NFLIS-Drug over the study time period. Findings demonstrate NFLIS-Drug data usefulness for research that require proxy indicators for the illicit drugs supply. A concerted effort between public health and public safety to make NFLIS-Drug more timely could strengthen its utility as a national, public health, drug surveillance system. Funding: Sangeetha Arctic Slope Mission Services, LLC, ASMS Contract No. ASM5-00017.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initiatives to prevent hepatitis C virus infection: a selective update.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a complex public health problem, characterized by a high prevalence of chronic infection, an increasing burden of HCV-associated disease, low rates of testing and treatment, and the prospect of increasing incidence associated with the epidemic of injection drug use. Three-quarters of chronic HCV infections occur among persons born from 1945 through 1965. Prevention efforts are complicated by limited knowledge among health care professionals, persons at risk and in the public at large. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, efforts to improve primary and secondary prevention effectiveness center on policy development, education and training initiatives, and applied research. This report provides a brief overview of some of these efforts, including the development of testing recommendations for the 1945-1965 birth cohort, research and evaluation studies in settings where persons who inject drugs receive services, and a national viral hepatitis education campaign that targets health care professionals, the public, and persons at risk.

Consuming illicit opioids during a drug overdose epidemic: Illicit fentanyls, drug discernment, and the radical transformation of the illicit opioid market.

BACKGROUND: North America continues to face an opioid overdose epidemic, driven by persistent increases in illicit fentanyls and fluctuations in potency leading to uncertainty for consumers. This qualitative study was conducted to better understand how people who inject drugs (PWID) came to recognize fentanyl as a growing adulterant of heroin and the subsequent sensory discernment strategies they employed to continue injecting. Our main objective was to investigate how observations and knowledge are combined as homegrown techniques for detecting fentanyl and minimizing risk. Secondary objectives were to examine the impact of growing fentanyl adulteration on individual drug use behavior. METHODS: Between April and May 2019, 28 PWID (18 men, 10 women; average age = 38.43 years, SD = 9.26) were purposely recruited from a needle services program in Greensboro, North Carolina. Study participants were interviewed in-person using a qualitative, semi-structured instrument. Interviews were analyzed with a general inductive approach using NVivo12. RESULTS: Participants described methods for detecting fentanyl in illicit opioids. Sudden increases in the potency of the 'rush' and sharp decreases in the length of the 'high' were chief indicators along with changes in drug color and texture. Heavy sedation was associated with fentanyl use and histamine-releasing effects characterized as 'pins and needles' were ascribed to injecting fentanyl as a component of the rush. Fentanyl's short high helped explain higher injection frequency and heavy sedation was the leading reason for co-using fentanyl with cocaine/crack or methamphetamine. CONCLUSION: PWID have the capacity to recognize changes to the illicit opioid supply. Study participants navigated unpredictable fluctuations in the illicit opioid market by employing homegrown discernment techniques, modifying drug use behavior, and co-using non-opioid drugs. Researchers and policymakers should involve PWID as subject matter experts to help modernize harm reduction for the fentanyl age with practical strategies to boost resiliency and save lives.

Association between law enforcement seizures of illicit drugs and drug overdose deaths involving cocaine and methamphetamine, Ohio, 2014-2019.

BACKGROUND: The United States continues to experience a crisis of mounting opioid overdose deaths involving cocaine and methamphetamine (hereafter illicit stimulants). Law enforcement drug seizure data present a unique opportunity to examine the association between illicit-stimulant-involved overdose deaths (ISODs) and the illicit drug supply. Our objective is to better understand correlations between illicit drug market trends and increases in ISODs in Ohio in 2014-2019. METHODS: This observational study analyzes the universe of ISODs and drug seizures in Ohio from 2014 to 2019. We use graphs and descriptive statistics to characterize trends over time and estimate a time series model of their association. ISODs were summed to yield monthly statewide counts of seizures containing methamphetamine, cocaine, illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF), and other non-IMF opioids (e.g., heroin). All rates were calculated per 100,000 persons. RESULTS: Roughly 80% of ISODs in Ohio from 2014 to 2019 involved an opioid, with IMF co-occurring in 90% of ISODs by 2019. Methamphetamine and cocaine seizures containing IMF were associated with 0.439 (p < .01) and 0.457 (p < .01) additional deaths per 100,000 persons per month, respectively. IMF seizures not containing cocaine nor methamphetamine were also associated with additional ISODs (0.119, p < .01) and seizures of illicit stimulants not containing IMF were not associated with ISODs. CONCLUSIONS: The number of ISODs was extremely high when IMF was co-involved and relatively low without IMF involvement. By demonstrating how supply-side trends correspond with ISOD rates, the current study bolsters the analytical utility of law enforcement seizures and complements growing literature in the field.

Consumer discernment of fentanyl in illicit opioids confirmed by fentanyl test strips: Lessons from a syringe services program in North Carolina.

BACKGROUND: The United States (U.S.) continues to witness an unprecedented increase in opioid overdose deaths driven by precipitous growth in the supply and use of illicitly-manufactured fentanyls (IMF). Fentanyl's growing market share of the illicit opioid supply in the U.S. has led to seismic shifts in the composition of the country's heroin supply. The growth in fentanyl supply has transformed illicit opioid markets once offering heroin with fairly consistent purity and potency to a supply overpopulated with fentanyl(s) of inconsistent and unpredictable potency. In response, people who inject drugs (PWID) have developed a number of sensory strategies to detect fentanyl in illicit opioids. The current study examined the accuracy of sensory discernment strategies by measuring study participants' descriptions of the last opioid injected and checked with a fentanyl test strip (FTS) by that test's positive/negative result. The primary objective was to determine associations between FTS results and descriptions of the illicit opioid's physical appearance and physiological effects. METHODS: Between September-October 2017, a total of 129 PWID were recruited from a syringe services program in Greensboro, North Carolina and completed an online survey about their most recent use of FTS. Participants were instructed to describe the appearance and effects associated with the most recent opioid they injected and tested with FTS. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine differences in positive vs negative FTS results and the physical characteristics and physiological experiences reported. An exploratory analysis was also conducted to describe the types and bodily locations of unusual sensations experienced by PWID reporting positive FTS results. RESULTS: For physical characteristics, 32% reported that the drug was white before adding water and 38% reported the solution was clear after adding water. For physiological effects compared to heroin, 42% reported a stronger rush, 30% a shorter high, 30% a shorter time to the onset of withdrawal symptoms, and 42% experienced unusual sensations. In the multivariable model adjusting for demographics and polydrug correlates, white color of drug before adding water, stronger rush, shorter time to withdrawal, and unusual sensations were significantly associated with a positive FTS result. The most common unusual sensations were pins and needles (51%), warming of the head and face (35%), and lightheadedness (30%), and the most common locations where sensations occurred were face and neck (61%), arms/legs (54%), and chest (37%). CONCLUSION: We found positive FTS results were significantly associated with the physical characteristics and physiological effects described by PWID. Descriptions concerning physical appearance were consistent with law enforcement profiles of illicitly-manufactured fentanyl and physiological effects were concomitant with scientific and clinical medical literature on iatrogenic fentanyl use. Taken together, these findings suggest sensory strategies for detecting fentanyl in illicit opioids may be an effective risk reduction tool to help consumers navigate unpredictable markets more safely.

Transition from injecting opioids to smoking fentanyl in San Francisco, California.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of illicitly made fentanyl in the United States has slowly replaced heroin. New illicit drugs are often associated with changes in frequency and modes of administration. We assessed changes in injection frequency and smoking fentanyl in the new era of fentanyl availability in San Francisco. METHODS: We used targeted sampling to recruit 395 people who inject drugs (PWID) into an observational cohort study in San Francisco 2018-2020. We assessed changes in injection frequency, opioid injection frequency and fentanyl smoking frequency in four six-month periods. We also conducted qualitative interviews with PWID asking about motivations for injecting and smoking opioids. RESULTS: The median number of past-month injections steadily decreased by semi-annual calendar year from 92 injections in July to December 2018 to 17 injections in January to June 2020. The rate of opioid injections reduced by half (Adjusted Incidence Rate Ratio = 0.41; 95 % Confidence Interval = 0.25, 0.70; p < 0.01). The number of days smoking fentanyl was associated with fewer number of injections (X2(2) = 11.0; p < 0.01). Qualitative interviews revealed that PWID's motivation for switching from injecting tar heroin to smoking fentanyl was related to difficulties accessing veins. After switching to smoking fentanyl, they noticed many benefits including how the drug felt, improved health, fewer financial constraints, and reduced stigma. CONCLUSION: Between 2018 and 2020, there was a shift from injecting tar heroin to smoking fentanyl in San Francisco. Reductions in injection of illicit drugs may offer public health benefit if it reduces risk of blood-borne viruses, abscesses and soft-tissue infections, and infective endocarditis.

Heroin and healthcare: patient characteristics and healthcare prior to overdose.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate heroin overdose trends among insured individuals and characterize patients and healthcare utilization preceding overdose to inform scale-up of effective prevention and treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive analysis. METHODS: We analyzed 2010 to 2014 IBM MarketScan Databases and calculated annual heroin overdose rates. For a subset of patients, we describe their comorbidities, where they accessed health services, and select prescription histories prior to their first heroin overdose. RESULTS: Heroin overdose rates were much lower, but increased faster, among the commercially insured compared with Medicaid enrollees from 2010 to 2014 (270.0% vs 94.3%). By 2012, rates among the commercially insured aged 15 to 24 years reached the overall rates in the Medicaid population. All patients had healthcare encounters in the 6 months prior to their first heroin overdose; two-thirds of commercially insured patients had outpatient visits, whereas two-thirds of Medicaid patients had emergency department visits. One month prior to overdose, 24.5% of Medicaid and 8.6% of commercially insured patients had opioid prescriptions. Fewer Medicaid patients had buprenorphine prescriptions (17.8% vs 27.3%) despite similar rates of known substance-related disorders. A higher proportion of Medicaid patients had non-substance-related comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Heroin overdose rates were persistently higher among the Medicaid population than the commercially insured, with the exception of those aged 15 to 24 years. Our findings on healthcare utilization, comorbidities, and where individuals access services could inform interventions at the point of care prior to a first heroin overdose. Outpatient settings are of particular importance for the growing cohort of young, commercially insured patients with opioid use disorders.

Fentanyl test strips as an opioid overdose prevention strategy: Findings from a syringe services program in the Southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the number of overdose deaths involving illicitly-manufactured fentanyl (IMF) surpassed heroin and prescription opioid deaths in the United States for the first time, with IMF-involved overdose deaths increasing more than 500% across 10 states from 2013 to 2016. IMF is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that is regularly mixed with heroin and often sold to unwitting consumers. Community-based organizations have started to distribute fentanyl test strips (FTS) as a strategy to identify IMF in street purchased products. We investigated the association between FTS use and changes in drug use behavior and perceived overdose safety among a community-based sample of people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United States. METHODS: Between September-October 2017, a total of 125 PWID completed an online survey about their most recent FTS use in Greensboro, North Carolina. Our first outcome of interest included whether PWID engaged in any of the following changes in drug use behavior after using FTS: used less than usual, administered tester shot, pushed syringe plunger slower than usual, and snorted instead of injected. Our second outcome of interest was whether PWID felt that FTS use made them feel better able to protect themselves from overdose. We conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine the association between FTS use and these two outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, 63% of the sample reported a positive FTS test result and 81% reported using FTS prior to consuming their drugs. For the outcomes, 43% reported a change in drug use behavior and 77% indicated increased perceived overdose safety by using FTS. In multivariable models adjusting for demographic and FTS correlates, PWID with a positive FTS test result had five times the odds of reporting changes in drug use behavior compared to those with a negative result. PWID who used the FTS after drug consumption were 70% less likely to report behavioral changes at subsequent drug consumption compared to those who used it before consumption. PWID who were not existing clients of the syringe services program had four times higher odds than existing clients to report increased overdose safety from using FTS. CONCLUSIONS: We found that using FTS and receiving a positive test result was associated with changes in drug use behavior and perceptions of overdose safety. FTS may represent an effective addition to current overdose prevention efforts when included with other evidence-based strategies to prevent opioid overdose and related harm.

Associations between perceived illicit fentanyl use and infectious disease risks among people who inject drugs.

BACKGROUND: Over the last several years, fentanyl has been introduced into the illicit drug supply in the United States. While the impact of fentanyl on overdose fatalities is clear, the increase in fentanyl use may also be affecting drug use practices with implications for infectious disease transmission. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to explore associations of perceived illicit fentanyl use with opioid use frequency, injection frequency and syringe sharing among people who inject drugs in two California cities. METHODS: People who inject drugs (PWID) were recruited from community settings in Los Angeles and San Francisco, CA from June 2017 to September 2018. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore adjusted associations between perceived illicit fentanyl use and high frequency opioid use, high frequency injection and syringe sharing. RESULTS: Among the 395 study participants, the median age of participants was 44 years; 74% of participants were cisgender male; 73% reported to be homeless; 61% lived in San Francisco and 39% in Los Angeles. The prevalence of perceived illicit fentanyl use in the past six months was 50.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 45.4%-55.3%) among PWID. Findings from our adjusted logistic regression models suggested that people reporting perceived illicit fentanyl use had a greater odds of high frequency opioid use (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.43-3.91; p = 0.001), high frequency injection (aOR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.08-3.13; p = 0.03) and receptive syringe sharing (aOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.06-4.36; p = 0.03), as compared to people using heroin and other street drugs but not fentanyl. CONCLUSION: People reporting perceived illicit fentanyl use were at increased risk for injection-related infectious disease risks. Actions must be taken to reduce these risks, including improved access to syringe service programs and opioid treatment and consideration of innovative approaches, such as supervised consumption services.

Improving Screening Methods for Hepatitis C Among People Who Inject Drugs: Findings from the HepTLC Initiative, 2012-2014.

OBJECTIVE: People who inject drugs (PWID) are at increased risk for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We examined HCV testing outcomes among PWID through CDC's Hepatitis Testing and Linkage to Care initiative, which promoted viral hepatitis B and hepatitis C screening, posttest counseling, and linkage to care at 34 U.S. sites during 2012-2014. Ten grantees in nine geographically diverse cities conducted HCV testing among PWID. METHODS: Among those testing positive for HCV antibody (anti-HCV), we calculated the proportion who were offered a confirmatory HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA) test, positively diagnosed, and referred to a specialist for care. We stratified anti-HCV-positive people who completed each step by same-day testing (i.e., an HCV RNA test administered on the same date as an anti-HCV test) vs. person not receiving same-day testing to evaluate whether the need for follow-up testing affected diagnosis of chronic infection and linkage to care. RESULTS: A total of 15,274 people received an anti-HCV test at 84 testing sites targeting PWID. Of those, 11,159 (73%) reported having injected drugs in their lifetime, 7,789 (51%) reported injecting drugs in the past 12 months, and 3,495 (23%) tested anti-HCV positive. A total of 1,630 people received testing for HCV RNA, of whom 1,244 (76%) were HCV RNA positive. When not receiving both tests on the same day, 601 of 2,465 (24%) anti-HCV-positive people received an HCV RNA test. CONCLUSION: Strategies to diagnose PWID for HCV infection are needed to reduce associated morbidity and mortality. Agencies can substantially increase the number of PWID who are diagnosed and informed of their HCV infection by administering both anti-HCV and HCV RNA tests during a single testing event.