(Radio Iowa) – Statistics from the Iowa Department of Health show a 33-percent drop in opioid-related deaths in 2018. The state went from 206 deaths in 2017 to 137 last year. Health Department Opioid Initiatives Director, Kevin Gabbert, says reasons include an increase in the overdose reversal drug Narcan.

He says the use of a prescription drug monitoring program had also helped, along with more addiction treatment programs.

The 137 deaths in 2018 marks a five year low for opioid-related deaths. Iowa has one of the lowest rates of opioid-related deaths in the country.