Northwestern University Apr 8 2026 Last June, several mainstream media outlets reported a surge in U.S. drug overdose deaths in early 2025 that was based on data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  A new Northwestern University study has found that surge was not real, and the apparent spike was a statistical modeling artifact, not a true reversal in overdose trends. In fact, the study found overdose deaths have continued to decline following a peak in August 2023,