Report: Opioids Continue to Decline, Topicals Climb Among Injured Workers

While opioid prescribing continues to decline for those treating injured workers, more expensive topical medications continue to surge, according to a drug trends analysis released Wednesday by Enlyte. According to the data from 2024 claim activity, the percentage of injured employees using opioids decreased to 20.1%, and high-dose opioid prescriptions fell by 10.2%. Despite the drops in opioids, among the most common drugs prescribed to injured workers, the data showed that overall prescription cost per claim increased 4.3%. According to Enlyte, this growth was driven “primarily by hi...