Suboxone Strategy: Protecting Patients Or Profits?

I'm a little late on posting this one, but it still seems worth sharing. Reckitt Benckiser has decided to pull Suboxone tablets from the market. Why? It's an evidence-based decision and an expression of their desire to be a good corporate citizen and their concern for children. Late last month, Reckitt Benckiser created a stir … Continue reading Suboxone Strategy: Protecting Patients Or Profits?

Another Reaction to Hazelden’s Adoption of Suboxone

Mark Willenbring, a former Director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/National Institutes of Health weighs in on Hazelden's embrace of Suboxone Hazelden's new approach is a seismic shift that is likely to move the entire industry in this direction. I told Marv that it was like … Continue reading Another Reaction to Hazelden’s Adoption of Suboxone

NAATP launches counteroffensive to medication push

This is very welcome news: Frustrated that medication-assisted treatment is coming across as the addiction field’s standard of care simply because drug company studies are dominating the research landscape, a group of some of the most prominent leaders in treatment administration is vowing to fight back. These leaders have enlisted the help of another heavy … Continue reading NAATP launches counteroffensive to medication push

Hazelden to start opioid maintenance

This has gotten a lot of attention [emphasis mine]: ...for the first time, Hazelden will begin providing medication-assisted treatment for people hooked on heroin or opioid painkillers, starting at its Center City, Minnesota facility and expanding across its treatment network in five states in 2013.  This so-called maintenance therapy differs from simply detoxifying addicts until … Continue reading Hazelden to start opioid maintenance

Road traffic crashes and prescribed methadone and buprenorphine

Last year, a study questioned whether buprenorphine patients should be allowed to drive because 60% tested positive for other drugs. Now, another study reaches similar findings: Background Opioids have been shown to impair psychomotor and cognitive functioning in healthy volunteers with no history of opioid abuse. Few or no significant effects have been found in opioid-dependant … Continue reading Road traffic crashes and prescribed methadone and buprenorphine

Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance

I would have thought this was a softball in support of buprenorphine. But, no: Among subjects with prior criminal charges, initiation of office-based buprenorphine treatment did not appear to have a significant impact on subsequent criminal charges. The paper gets a little says that this lack of effect includes drug charges. I'm no fan of … Continue reading Criminal charges before and after initiation of buprenorphine maintenance

effective…as long as it is maintained

This summarythat recent buprenorphine study suggests that the muddy waters are settling [emphasis mine]: This study shows, yet again, that buprenorphine / naloxone is an effective treatment for opioid dependence as long as it is maintained, and that a tapering detoxification strategy, regardless of duration, fails the majority of patients. The summary then goes on … Continue reading effective…as long as it is maintained

Top Posts of 2011 #1 – The Suboxone “Solution”

The Fix has a provocative article on the growing use of buprenorphine maintenance. Over the last several years we've watched long-term maintenance become the norm and it has been a growing concern at Dawn Farm, particularly as we've had growing numbers of people misusing the drug and others seeking help getting detoxed from buprenorphine. She … Continue reading Top Posts of 2011 #1 – The Suboxone “Solution”