Indivior Recognizes Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® 2021, developed by The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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Mar 23, 2021, 08:00 ET

RICHMOND, Va., March 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- March 22 through March 28, 2021 is National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®, an annual, week-long, health observance developed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to raise awareness about substance abuse, including alcohol, and addiction in communities across the U.S.

Data show that since March of 2020, the drug positivity rates have increased - highlighting the worsening state of the opioid epidemic in the U.S.¹ According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths reached a record high in 2020. More than 83,000 drug overdose deaths were recorded in the United States, a 21 percent increase over the previous year.² These substantial increases in drug overdose deaths were primarily driven by rapid increases in overdose deaths involving synthetic drugs including opioids, likely illicitly manufactured fentanyl, as well as psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine.³

"Drug and Alcohol Facts Week is a time to rethink our perceptions of opioid use disorder, alcohol and substance misuse and advocate for those people who remain under-diagnosed, under-treated and under-supported," said Mark Crossley, CEO Indivior. "With drug overdose deaths at a record high, we must tackle the stigma that surrounds these diseases and that inhibits people from seeking or receiving treatment. At Indivior, we remain committed to helping those struggling with substance use disorders find a path to recovery."

It is a common misconception that Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a moral failing, but science shows us that OUD is a disease that hijacks and physically changes the brain, driving people to put opioids above everything else.^4,5,6In 2019, over 10 million people aged 12 and older misused opioids in the United States, the majority of whom misused prescription pain relievers.⁷

During Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® 2021, Indivior encourages people to visit RethinkOpioidAddiction.com to learn more about OUD and expand their understanding of this treatable and chronic illness.

About Indivior

Indivior is a global pharmaceutical company working to help change patients' lives by developing medicines to treat addiction and serious mental illnesses. Our vision is that all patients around the world will have access to evidence-based treatment for the chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and potentially address other chronic conditions and cooccurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 700 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more. Connect with Indivior on LinkedIn by visiting www.linkedin.com/company/indivior.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains certain statements that are forward-looking. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties as they relate to events or circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements because they relate to future events. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding the Indivior Group's financial guidance for 2020, if any, and its medium- and long-term growth outlook, its operational goals, its product development pipeline and statements regarding ongoing litigation and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions.

Various factors may cause differences between Indivior's expectations and actual results, including, among others (including those described in the risk factors described in the most recent Indivior PLC Annual Report and in subsequent releases): factors affecting sales of Indivior Group's products and financial position; the outcome of research and development activities; decisions by regulatory authorities regarding the Indivior Group's drug applications or authorizations; the speed with which regulatory authorizations, pricing approvals and product launches may be achieved, if at all; the outcome of post-approval clinical trials; competitive developments; difficulties or delays in manufacturing and in the supply chain; disruptions in or failure of information technology systems; the impact of existing and future legislation and regulatory provisions on product exclusivity; trends toward managed care and healthcare cost containment; legislation or regulatory action affecting pharmaceutical product pricing, reimbursement or access; challenges in the commercial execution; claims and concerns that may arise regarding the safety or efficacy of the Indivior Group's products and product candidates; risks related to legal proceedings, including compliance with the U.S. Department of Justice Resolution and Settlement Agreements, noncompliance with which could result in potential exclusion from participating in U.S. Federal health care programs; the ongoing investigative and antitrust litigation matters; the opioid national multi-district litigation and securities class action litigation; the Indivior Group's ability to protect its patents and other intellectual property; the outcome of patent infringement litigation relating to Indivior Group's products, including the ongoing ANDA lawsuits; changes in governmental laws and regulations; issues related to the outsourcing of certain operational and staff functions to third parties; risks related to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic and the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Indivior Group's operations and financial condition, which cannot be predicted with confidence; uncertainties related to general economic, political, business, industry, regulatory and market conditions; and the impact of acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, internal reorganizations, product recalls and withdrawals and other unusual items.

Consequently, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date that they are made and should be regarded solely as our current plans, estimates and beliefs. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We cannot guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Except as required by law, we do not undertake and specifically decline any obligation to update, republish or revise forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrences of unanticipated events.

References:

Millennium Health Signals Report™, COVID-19 Special Edition: Significant Changes in Drug Use During the Pandemic. Volume 2.1 | Published July 2020, https://www.millenniumhealth.com/news/signalsreportcovid/.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts. February 17, 2021. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Health Alert Network Health Advisory. December 17, 2020. Retrieved from https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/2020/han00438.asp.
Upadhyay J., et al (2010). Alterations in brain structure and functional connectivity in prescription opioid-dependent patients. Brain, Volume 133, Issue 7, July 2010, Pages 2098–2114, https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awq138.
Ma N., et al (2010). Addiction Related Alteration in Resting-state brain Connectivity. NeuroImage, Volume 49, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 738-744, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.08.037.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 18-5063PT5, Printed 2018.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2020). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. PEP20-07-01-001, NSDUH Series H-55). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/.