Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios The fatal drug overdose rate fell 4% nationwide from 2022 to 2023, per new CDC data — but grew notably out West and up in Alaska. Why it matters: Overdose deaths seem to be falling as pandemic-era isolation ebbs and access to life-saving medications like Naloxone grows.

Rates of drug overdose deaths decreased in the U.S. for the first time since the pandemic began, according to new federal data published Thursday.