Painkiller overdose deaths soaring: CDC

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Deadly overdoses of prescription painkillers have tripled over the last 10 years and are now responsible for more deaths than heroin and cocaine combined, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that was released Tuesday. Part of the reason is the sheer volume of pills available. For instance, there is enough Vicodin on the market to give every American a standard dose every four hours for a month, the CDC said. "The epidemic of prescription drug overdoses in the United States has worsened over the last decade," the CDC noted. Last year, just under 5% of the total population reported using prescription painkillers recreationally and the number of deaths from overdoses of opioid pain relievers spiked from 4,000 in 1999 to 14,800 by 2008. In the U.S., Abbott Laboratories is among the largest producers of Vicodin. Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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