Washington DC - President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday celebrated new data showing the largest recorded year-over-year drop in US overdose deaths, attributing the success to its policies including expanding naloxone access and intensifying efforts against illicit fentanyl.

The latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed a 14.5% predicted reduction in the 12 months ending June 2024, from 113,154 to 96,801.

"When President Biden and Vice President Harris first took office, the number of drug overdose deaths was increasing 31% year-over-year," said Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).

Gupta highlighted that the Biden-Harris government had removed barriers to treatment, made life-saving opioid overdose reversal medications like naloxone more accessible and affordable, and "invested historic levels of funding to crack down on the supply of illicit fentanyl at the border."

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Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is now more accessible in public spaces including schools, workplaces, and airports, and is available for over-the-counter purchase at pharmacies nationwide.

America's opioid crisis can be traced back to the 1990s, fueled by the aggressive marketing and widespread prescription of opioid painkillers like OxyContin.

In recent years, overdose deaths have surged, largely due to illicitly manufactured fentanyl – primarily produced in China and trafficked into the US through Mexico – often mixed with stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine.