WASHINGTON — The number of deaths due to opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania dropped by almost a quarter over the last year, according to statistics released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Deaths declined from 5,195 in July 2023 to 3,937 in July 2024, a 24% decline. The number of Pennsylvanians dying due to opioids dropped to the lowest level since July 2016.

Nationally, opioid overdose deaths declined by almost 17% during the same 12-month period.

Biden administration officials cheered the decline, saying it showed that their efforts to cut down on the amount of fentanyl entering the U.S. and make the anti-overdose drug naloxone more readily available was having an impact.

"There are fewer families facing an empty seat at the table, particularly during this holiday season," said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The flow of fentanyl into the U.S. was an issue in the just-concluded election, with Trump and other Republicans claiming that the drug was being carried across the border by migrants entering the country illegally. But most fentanyl was smuggled into the U.S. by American citizens going through legal ports of entry and the problem predated the spike in illegal immigration under Biden.

Gupta said the Biden administration worked to cut off opioid production and the chemicals needed to make the drugs. Officials increased seizures of fentanyl at the border as they targeted not only the dealers but their lawyers, accountants, bankers and the real estate companies that housed them.

He said a major contribution to the decline in opioid deaths was the fact that naloxone, the drug that can reverse overdoses and often is sold under the brand name Narcan, is more readily available. It can be purchased over the counter at drug stores and more doctors can write prescriptions for it. It is available on airplanes, on trains and at ballgames.

In Allegheny County, officials sought to install seven vending machines to dispense naloxone, though the program ran into problems. The county said last month that cabinets of naloxone would be sent to the University of Pittsburgh and Chatham University.

"The very first thing you need to do is stop the bleeding," Gupta said. "We cannot treat dead people. Naxolone stops the bleeding. One of the quickest ways to save lives was to get naloxone into people's hands and make it more accessible and more affordable."

In addition, the federal government expanded the number of treatment facilities, including mobile vans in more far-flung areas, and increased funding for states and localities, including $1.5 billion in 2024 alone.

"This isn't just a policy goal," Domestic Policy Council Adviser Neera Tanden said. "This is a lifesaving mission."

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