From Opioid Pain Management to Opioid Crisis in the USA: How Can Public-Private Partnerships Help?

Abstract

The current opioid crisis in the USA arose from (at first) successful opioid pain management in three waves, starting in the'90s. Today, USA patients consume opioid drugs on a massive scale. Considering their potential for tolerance, as well as their potential for lethality in relatively small overdose, the overuse of opioids form an urgent threat to public health in the USA. Since the opioid crisis is a complex phenomenon, several stakeholders are needed to tackle the problem. Both public and private stakeholders should collaborate, e.g., in Public-Private Partnerships. Those collaborations should focus on different aspects related to the opioid crisis such as medical and societal (e.g., pain management process, including addressing opioid use disorders), as well as economical and regulatory issues (e.g., incentivizing the search for alternative non-addictive pain medication and banning aggressive marketing tactics used by the pharmaceutical industry). Additionally, collaborations should cover interdisciplinary education and training of various healthcare actors involved. In conclusion, interdisciplinary collaboration on the various opioid abuse-related aspects is urgently needed to tackle the opioid crisis in the USA.