SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah pharmacists will start putting red stickers on bottles of opioids that warn patients about the risk of overdose and addiction as part of a new awareness campaign to combat painkiller abuses and deaths.
The Utah Department of Health’s monthlong campaign kicks off Monday and is meant to encourage dialogue between pharmacists and patients about opioid risks.
Statistics from the department show the rate of prescription opioids dispensed in Utah grew 30 percent from 2002 to 2015. Nearly 300 Utah residents died of opioid overdoses in 2015.
Chairman of the Utah Pharmacy Licensing Board Greg Jones says the red-sticker campaign will prompt patients to ask pharmacists questions about their potentially addictive medications.
Pharmacists can discuss with patients proper use, storage and disposal of opioids and provide naloxone, an overdose-reversing drug.