Deaths from drug overdoses are starting to “plateau,” Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday, arguing that the epidemic remains dire but that President Trump's efforts are paying dividends.
The number of deaths climbed 10 percent from 2016 to 2017 but rose just 3.5 percent in the 12-month period ending in March, said Mr. Azar, citing provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The seemingly relentless trend of rising overdose deaths seems to be finally bending in the right direction,” Mr. Azar told the Milken Institute, an economic think tank, before a bill-signing designed to take a bigger swipe at the opioid crisis.
