The Drug Enforcement Agency will launch a nationwide investigation of pharmacies and prescribers in response to the ongoing opioid crisis, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told agents on Tuesday.
"DEA collects some 80 million transaction reports every year from manufacturers and distributors of prescription drugs. These reports contain information like distribution figures and inventory. DEA will aggregate these numbers to find patterns, trends, statistical outliers — and put them into targeting packages," Sessions said in a speech at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Louisville, Kentucky.
"That will help us make more arrests, secure more convictions — and ultimately help us reduce the number of prescription drugs available for Americans to get addicted to or overdose from these dangerous drugs."
Last year, there were 42,249 deaths from opioids, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also found that overdoses from opioids account for more deaths per year than breast cancer.
"We still have a lot more work to do reduce violent crime and turn the tide of the opioid epidemic. That's why we are also taking steps to decrease the number of overdose deaths," Sessions continued.
"I have also assigned experienced prosecutors in opioid hot spot districts to focus solely on investigating and prosecuting opioid-related health care fraud. I have sent these prosecutors to where they are especially needed — including Kentucky."
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