FRIDAY, Sept. 1, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of overdose deaths in the United States involve counterfeit pills, health officials reported Thursday. Overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills were twice as common in the latter half of 2021 as they were in the last six months of 2019, accounting for about 5% of overdose deaths, according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Western states, those rates tripled during the same period. The drugs are made to look like prescription opioids or stimulants to treat ADHD.