A Smarter Way to Prescribe

The opioid crisis has captured global headlines for over two decades. Although opiates can certainly alleviate pain, it seems that the risks of such prescriptions can outweigh the benefits. In the United States alone, nearly 80,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2023*, accounting for more than 75% of all drug-related deaths. Behind the numbers are millions of personal stories, of prescriptions written with good intentions but failing in the long term. Many begin the same way: a visit to the emergency room, a post-operative discharge, a prescription for painkillers, and back to work. The intention is relief. The risk is addiction.

The United States is by no means unique. Globally, many places are seeing similar patterns. In Reykjavík, two doctors saw this scenario play out discouragingly firsthand. Week after week, patients left the hospital with opioids, only to return months later with signs of dependence. The problem was not just the medication; it was a severe lack of follow-up and structured support. Patients were given pills, but no plan to taper them off, and certainly no roadmap for how to stop.

That realization led to Prescriby, a health tech platform founded by Dr. Kjartan Þórsson and Dr. Jóhannes Ingi Torfason. Their mission was simple in concept but ambitious in execution: give doctors and patients a safe, structured, and collaborative way to manage prescriptions for addictive medications.

Prescriby offers a digital tapering tool that creates step-by-step dosage reduction plans tailored to each patient’s unique needs. These plans are clinician-approved, app-based, and trackable. Patients are no longer left to navigate the journey alone, wondering what is right or wrong. Instead, they are supported from the first prescription to the last pill.

Preventing addiction is not a new idea. Naturally, clinical guidelines recommend patient education, monitoring, and gradual tapering for opioids and other potentially addictive medications. Unfortunately, the guidelines do not provide much more information than that, and the challenge lies in the execution.

In fact, the medical field has a long and complicated history with addictive substances. Opium was once a standard treatment for coughs and diarrhea. Cocaine was used as a local anesthetic and was even an ingredient in early formulations of the very popular Coca-Cola. Morphine, laudanum, and heroin were prescribed for pain, anxiety, and sleep, sometimes even to children. Many of these drugs were considered breakthroughs in their time, but without proper safeguards, they often led to widespread dependence.
Today, physicians face similar challenges with modern opioids, benzodiazepines, and stimulants. But unlike in the past, there is now more thorough clinical knowledge and digital tools that can help reduce the risk.

Doctors still often lack the time and tools to provide comprehensive support. Many healthcare systems lack the resources to monitor every patient, and patients themselves rarely receive clear instructions on how and when to taper their medication. In countries like the United States, insurance coverage for addiction support varies widely. For those without coverage, access to tapering plans or follow-up care can be virtually nonexistent. In this gap between medical best practice and real-world implementation, addiction quietly spreads.

Prescriby is closing that gap. With its secure digital platform, clinicians can generate personalized tapering plans in seconds and remotely track patient progress. The app educates patients about the risks of dependence, empowers them to take an active role in their own care, and facilitates earlier interventions when necessary.

The benefits extend beyond the clinic. By providing more efficient monitoring, Prescriby helps health systems allocate resources more effectively and expand care access to rural or underserved populations. What was once a time-consuming manual process can now be delivered digitally, affordably, and at scale.

From its beginnings at the University Hospital of Iceland, Prescriby is expanding its reach. In partnership with the Icelandic Ministry of Health, the company is currently implementing its program nationwide. A controlled clinical trial is underway in Denmark, and Prescriby has also launched a commercialization project in Canada, with plans to enter the U.S. market soon.

The company recently secured €2 million in funding to scale internationally, led by Crowberry Capital with participation from investors in Canada, Denmark, and Iceland. The goal is clear: make prescriptions safer the norm, not the exception.

As Dr. Þórsson explains, roughly 1 in 10 patients discharged with opioids can develop some level of dependence. With fentanyl now surpassing OxyContin as the most commonly used illicit opioid, the stakes are higher than ever. Prescriby focuses not only on treatment, but on prevention—changing the system so fewer patients develop addiction in the first place.