Pharmacogenetics of lethal opioid overdose

Accidental overdose of opioids is a severe healthcare problem. According to the most recent statistics from World Drug Report, over 585,000 people died from drug overdose in 2017, with opioids being responsible for the vast majority of these deaths. Most of these deaths were considered accidental. We hypothesize that genetic factors involved in metabolism and drug action play an important role in opioid-related deaths.