CWCI: NSAIDs Account for Increasing Share of Prescriptions, Spending

The California Workers’ Compensation Institute on Wednesday said new data shows the types of drugs used to treat injured workers have shifted dramatically over the last 10 years, with opioids becoming less prevalent and anti-inflammatory drugs accounting for an increasing share of prescriptions and drug payments. CWCI said its analysis of prescription drug trends from 2012 through 2021 found that the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, surpassed opioids as the top drug group in 2016. In 2021, NSAIDS accounted for 34% of prescriptions dispensed to injured workers. A...