ICER assessed the comparative clinical effectiveness and economic value of supervised injection facilities (SIFs). ICER has reviewed other related topics, such as abuse-deterrent opioid formulations, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, and non-drug interventions for lower back pain. This review reinforced ICER’s commitment to provide an independent evaluation of the evidence around interventions that target the public health crises stemming from the opioid epidemic in the United States.

At the policy roundtable, experts called on community, state, and federal policy leaders to launch pilot SIF programs in areas of established need and with strong local involvement of many sectors of the community, including people who use drugs themselves.

ICER’s Independent appraisal committee determined current evidence is adequate to demonstrate that, compared to syringe exchange programs alone, supervised injection facilities save lives while lowering public health costs.

Review date: December 2020

For more information, please contact info@icer.org.

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Final Documents

Below you will find the final documents from the assessment review process:

“Harm reduction is a key objective in managing the opioid epidemic, but even within that framework, many policy makers have hesitated to create sites where people can inject illegal drugs more safely…However, the evidence we reviewed over the past year – along with the input we received from community leaders, clinical experts, law enforcement, and people who use drugs — suggests that SIFs can deliver a clear public health and economic benefit for communities that currently experience high rates of overdose deaths. SIFs save lives and save money.”