Project description:As the opioid overdose epidemic escalates, there is an urgent need for treatment innovations to address both patient and clinician barriers when initiating buprenorphine in the emergency department (ED). These include insurance status, logistical challenges such as the ability to fill a prescription and transportation, concerns regarding diversion, and availability of urgent referral sites. Extended-release buprenorphine (XR-BUP) preparations such as a new 7-day injectable could potentially solve some of these issues. We describe the pharmacokinetics of a new 7-day XR-BUP formulation and the feasibility of its use in the ED setting. We report our early experiences with this medication (investigational drug CAM2038), in the context of an ongoing clinical trial entitled Emergency Department-Initiated BUP VAlidaTION (ED INNOVATION), to inform emergency clinicians as they consider incorporating this medication into their practice. The medication was approved by the European Medicines Agency in 2018 and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023 for those 18 years or older for the treatment of moderate to severe opioid use disorder (OUD). We report our experience with approximately 800 ED patients with OUD who received the 7-day XR-BUP preparation in the ED between June 2020 and July 2023.
Project description:BackgroundConsidering the enormous burden represented by the opioid use disorder (OUD), it is important to always consider, when implementing opioid agonist therapy (OAT), the potential impact on patient's adherence, quality of life, and detoxification. Thus, the purpose of the study is to evaluate how the introduction of a novel OAT approach influences these key factors in the management of OUD.Case presentationThis article marks the pioneering use of OAT through buprenorphine implant in Europe and delves into the experience of six patients diagnosed with OUD at a relatively young age. The patients, comprising both males and a female, are of Caucasian Italian and African Italian ancestry (case 4) and exhibit an age range from 23 to 63, with an average drug abuse history of 19 ± 12 years. All patients were on stable traditional OAT before transitioning to buprenorphine implants. Despite the heterogeneity in social and educational backgrounds, health status, and drug abuse initiation histories, the case series reveals consistent positive treatment outcomes such as detoxification, absence of withdrawal symptoms and of side effects. Notably, all patients reported experiencing a newfound sense of freedom and improved quality of life.ConclusionsThese results emphasise the promising impact of OAT via buprenorphine implants in enhancing the well-being and quality of life in the context of OUD.
Project description:ObjectivesBuprenorphine and other medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are recommended as standard of care in the treatment of OUD and are associated with positive health and addiction-related outcomes. Despite benefits, discontinuation is common, with half of patients discontinuing in the first year of treatment. Addressing OUD is a major clinical priority, yet little is known about the causes of medication discontinuation from the patient perspective.MethodsFrom March 2021 to April 2022, we conducted qualitative interviews with patients who had discontinued buprenorphine for the treatment of OUD within the past 12 months. Eligible participants were selected from 2 Veterans Health Administration Health Care Systems in Oregon. Coding and analysis were guided by conventional qualitative content analysis.ResultsTwenty participants completed an interview; 90% were White and 90% were male, and the mean age was 54.2 years. Before discontinuation, participants had received buprenorphine for 8.3 months on average (range, 1-40 months); 80% had received buprenorphine for less than 12 months. Qualitative analysis identified the following themes relating to discontinuation: health system barriers (eg, logistical hurdles, rules and policy violations), medication effects (adverse effects; attributed adverse effects, lack of efficacy in treating chronic pain) and desire for opioid use. Patient description of decisions to discontinue buprenorphine could be multicausal, reflecting provider or system-level barriers in interaction with patient complexity or medication ambivalence.ConclusionsStudy results identify several actionable ways OUD treatment could be modified to enhance patient retention.
Project description:ImportanceAlthough substantial evidence supports buprenorphine for treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) in controlled trials, prospective study of patient outcomes in clinical implementation of emergency department (ED) buprenorphine treatment is lacking.ObjectiveTo examine the association between buprenorphine treatment in the ED and follow-up engagement in OUD treatment 1 month later.Design, setting, and participantsThis multisite cohort study was conducted in 7 California EDs participating in a statewide implementation project to improve access to buprenorphine treatment. The study population included ED patients aged at least 18 years identified with OUD between April 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022. Data analysis was performed in October 2023.ExposureAll participants were offered buprenorphine treatment for OUD (either in ED administration, prescription, or both), the uptake of which was examined as the exposure of interest.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was engagement in OUD treatment 30 days after the ED visit, determined by patient report or clinical documentation. The association of ED buprenorphine treatment with subsequent OUD treatment engagement was estimated using hierarchical generalized linear models.ResultsThis analysis included 464 ED patients with OUD. Their median age was 36.0 (IQR, 29.0-38.7) years, and most were men (343 [73.9%]). With regard to race and ethnicity, 64 patients (13.8%) self-identified as non-Hispanic Black, 183 (39.4%) as Hispanic, and 185 as non-Hispanic White (39.9%). Most patients (396 [85.3%]) had Medicaid insurance, and more than half (262 [57.8%]) had unstable housing. Self-reported fentanyl use (242 [52.2%]) and a comorbid mental health condition (328 [71.5%]) were common. Interest in buprenorphine treatment was high: 398 patients (85.8%) received buprenorphine treatment; 269 (58.0%) were administered buprenorphine in the ED and 339 (73.1%) were prescribed buprenorphine. With regard to OUD treatment engagement at 30 days after the ED visit, 198 participants (49.7%) who received ED buprenorphine treatment remained engaged compared with 15 participants (22.7%) who did not receive ED buprenorphine treatment. An association of ED buprenorphine treatment with subsequent OUD treatment engagement at 30 days was observed (adjusted risk ratio, 1.97 [95% CI, 1.27-3.07]).Conclusions and relevanceThe findings of this cohort study suggest that among patients with OUD presenting to EDs implementing low-threshold access to medications for OUD, buprenorphine treatment was associated with a substantially higher likelihood of follow-up treatment engagement 1 month later. Future research should investigate techniques to optimize both the uptake and effectiveness of buprenorphine initiation in low-threshold settings such as the ED.
Project description:ImportanceAgonist medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), buprenorphine and methadone, in carceral settings might reduce the risk of postrelease opioid overdose but are uncommonly offered. In April 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC), the state prison system, provided buprenorphine for incarcerated individuals in addition to previously offered injectable naltrexone.ObjectiveTo evaluate postrelease outcomes after buprenorphine implementation.Design, setting, and participantsThis cohort study with interrupted time-series analysis used linked data across multiple statewide data sets in the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse stratified by sex due to differences in carceral systems. Eligible participants were individuals sentenced and released from a MADOC facility to the community. The study period for the male sample was January 2014 to November 2020; for the female sample, January 2015 to October 2019. Data were analyzed between February 2022 and January 2024.ExposureApril 2019 implementation of buprenorphine during incarceration.Main outcomes and measuresReceipt of MOUD within 4 weeks after release, opioid overdose, and all-cause mortality within 8 weeks after release, each measured as a percentage of monthly releases who experienced the outcome. Segmented linear regression analyzed changes in outcome rates after implementation.ResultsA total of 15 225 individuals were included. In the male sample there were 14 582 releases among 12 688 individuals (mean [SD] age, 35.0 [10.8] years; 133 Asian and Pacific Islander [0.9%], 4079 Black [28.0%], 4208 Hispanic [28.9%], 6117 White [41.9%]), a rate of 175.7 releases per month; the female sample included 3269 releases among 2537 individuals (mean [SD] age, 34.9 [9.8] years; 328 Black [10.0%], 225 Hispanic [6.9%], 2545 White [77.9%]), a rate of 56.4 releases per month. Among male participants at 20 months postimplementation, the monthly rate of postrelease buprenorphine receipt was higher than would have been expected under baseline trends (21.2% vs 10.6% of monthly releases; 18.6 additional releases per month). Naltrexone receipt was lower than expected (1.0% vs 6.0%; 8.8 fewer releases per month). Monthly rates of methadone receipt (1.4%) and opioid overdose (1.8%) were not significantly different than expected. All-cause mortality was lower than expected (1.9% vs 2.8%; 1.5 fewer deaths per month). Among female participants at 7 months postimplementation, buprenorphine receipt was higher than expected (31.6% vs 9.5%; 12.4 additional releases per month). Naltrexone receipt was lower than expected (3.4% vs 7.2%) but not statistically significantly different. Monthly rates of methadone receipt (1.1%), opioid overdose (4.8%), and all-cause mortality (1.6%) were not significantly different than expected.Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of state prison releases, postrelease buprenorphine receipt increased and naltrexone receipt decreased after buprenorphine became available during incarceration.
Project description:BackgroundOpioid agonist therapy is strongly recommended for pregnant persons with opioid use disorder. Buprenorphine may be associated with more favorable neonatal and maternal outcomes than methadone, but existing data are limited.MethodsWe conducted a cohort study involving pregnant persons who were enrolled in public insurance programs in the United States during the period from 2000 through 2018 in which we examined outcomes among those who received buprenorphine as compared with those who received methadone. Exposure to the two medications was assessed in early pregnancy (through gestational week 19), late pregnancy (gestational week 20 through the day before delivery), and the 30 days before delivery. Risk ratios for neonatal and maternal outcomes were adjusted for confounders with the use of propensity-score overlap weights.ResultsThe data source for the study consisted of 2,548,372 pregnancies that ended in live births. In early pregnancy, 10,704 pregnant persons were exposed to buprenorphine and 4387 to methadone. In late pregnancy, 11,272 were exposed to buprenorphine and 5056 to methadone (9976 and 4597, respectively, in the 30 days before delivery). Neonatal abstinence syndrome occurred in 52.0% of the infants who were exposed to buprenorphine in the 30 days before delivery as compared with 69.2% of those exposed to methadone (adjusted relative risk, 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71 to 0.75). Preterm birth occurred in 14.4% of infants exposed to buprenorphine in early pregnancy and in 24.9% of those exposed to methadone (adjusted relative risk, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.62); small size for gestational age in 12.1% and 15.3%, respectively (adjusted relative risk, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.80); and low birth weight in 8.3% and 14.9% (adjusted relative risk, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.63). Delivery by cesarean section occurred in 33.6% of pregnant persons exposed to buprenorphine in early pregnancy and 33.1% of those exposed to methadone (adjusted relative risk, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.08), and severe maternal complications developed in 3.3% and 3.5%, respectively (adjusted relative risk, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.13). Results of exposure in late pregnancy were consistent with results of exposure in early pregnancy.ConclusionsThe use of buprenorphine in pregnancy was associated with a lower risk of adverse neonatal outcomes than methadone use; however, the risk of adverse maternal outcomes was similar among persons who received buprenorphine and those who received methadone. (Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.).
Project description:BackgroundRelapse rates during opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment remain unacceptably high. It is possible that optimally matching patients with medication type would reduce risk of relapse. Our objective was to learn a rule by which to assign type of medication for OUD to reduce risk of relapse, and to estimate the extent to which risk of relapse would be reduced if such a rule were used.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of an open-label randomized controlled, 24-week comparative effectiveness trial of injection extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX), delivered approximately every 28 days, or daily sublingual buprenorphine-naloxone (BUP-NX) for treating OUD, 2014-2017 (N = 570). Outcome was a binary indicator of relapse to regular opioid use during the 24 weeks of outpatient treatment.ResultsWe found that applying an estimated individualized treatment rule-i.e., a rule that assigns patients with OUD to either XR-NTX or BUP-NX based on their individual characteristics in such a way that risk of relapse is minimized-would reduce risk of relapse by 24 weeks by 12% compared to randomly assigned treatment.ConclusionsThe number-needed-to-treat with the estimated treatment rule to prevent a single relapse is 14. A simpler, alternative estimated rule in which homeless participants would be treated with XR-NTX and stably housed participants would be treated with BUP-NX performed similarly. These results provide an estimate of the amount by which a relatively simple change in clinical practice could be expected to improve prevention of OUD relapse.
Project description:The opioid epidemic represents a national crisis. Oxycodone is one of the most prescribed opioid medications in the United States, whereas buprenorphine is currently the most prescribed medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) pharmacotherapy. Given the extensive use of prescription opioids and the global opioid epidemic, it is essential to understand how opioids modulate brain cell type function at the single-cell level. We performed single nucleus RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) using iPSC-derived forebrain organoids from three male OUD subjects in response to oxycodone, buprenorphine, or vehicle for seven days. We utilized the snRNA-seq data to identify differentially expressed genes following drug treatment using the Seurat integrative analysis pipeline. We utilized iPSC-derived forebrain organoids and single-cell sequencing technology as an unbiased tool to study cell-type-specific and drug-specific transcriptional responses. After quality control filtering, we analyzed 25787 cells and identified sixteen clusters using unsupervised clustering analysis. Our results reveal distinct transcriptional responses to oxycodone and buprenorphine by iPSC-derived brain organoids from patients with OUD. Specifically, buprenorphine displayed a significant influence on transcription regulation in glial cells. However, oxycodone induced type I interferon signaling in many cell types, including neural cells in brain organoids. Finally, we demonstrate that oxycodone, but not buprenorphine activated STAT1 and induced the type I interferon signaling in patients with OUD. These data suggest that elevation of STAT1 expression associated with OUD might play a role in transcriptional regulation in response to oxycodone. In summary, our results provide novel mechanistic insight into drug action at single-cell resolution.
Project description:ImportanceGabapentin prescriptions have drastically increased in the US due to off-label prescribing in settings such as opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment to manage a range of comorbid conditions and withdrawal symptoms, despite a lack of evidence.ObjectiveTo assess the purpose and associated risks of off-label gabapentin use in OUD treatment.Design, setting, and participantsThis retrospective recurrent-event case-control study with a crossover design used administrative claims data from MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Medicaid databases from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2016. Individuals aged 12 to 64 years with an OUD diagnosis and filling buprenorphine prescriptions were included in the primary analysis conducted from July 1, 2022, through June 1, 2023. Unit of observation was the person-day.ExposuresDays covered by filled gabapentin prescriptions.Main outcomes and measuresPrimary outcomes were receipt of gabapentin in the 90 days after initiation of buprenorphine treatment and drug-related poisoning. Drug-related poisonings were defined using codes from International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, and International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision.ResultsA total of 109 407 patients were included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 34.0 [11.2] years; 60 112 [54.9%] male). Among the 29 967 patients with Medicaid coverage, 299 (1.0%) were Hispanic, 1330 (4.4%) were non-Hispanic Black, 23 112 (77.1%) were non-Hispanic White, and 3399 (11.3%) were other. Gabapentin was significantly less likely to be prescribed to Black or Hispanic patients, and more likely to be prescribed to female patients, those with co-occurring substance use or mood disorders, and those with comorbid physical conditions such as neuropathic pain. Nearly one-third of persons who received gabapentin (4336 [31.1%]) had at least 1 drug-related poisoning after initiating buprenorphine treatment, compared with 13 856 (14.5%) among persons who did not receive gabapentin. Adjusted analyses showed that days of gabapentin use were not associated with hospitalization for drug-related poisoning (odds ratio, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.85-1.13]). Drug-related poisoning risks did not vary based on dosage.Conclusions and relevanceGabapentin is prescribed in the context of a myriad of comorbid conditions. Even though persons receiving gabapentin are more likely to have admissions for drug-related poisoning, these data suggest that gabapentin is not associated with an increased risk of drug-related poisoning alongside buprenorphine in adjusted analyses. More data on the safety profile of gabapentin in OUD settings are needed.
Project description:IntroductionVeterans with opioid use disorder have an increased risk of suicide and overdose compared with the general population. Buprenorphine, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medication to treat opioid use disorder, has shown benefits, including decreased risk of illicit drug use and overdose. This study assesses the mortality outcomes with buprenorphine pharmacotherapy among Veterans up to 5 years from treatment initiation.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study of Veterans receiving buprenorphine (2008-2017) across any Veterans Health Administration facility. Buprenorphine pharmacotherapy was evaluated as a time-varying covariate. The primary outcome was death up to 5 years from treatment initiation by suicide and overdose combined; secondary outcomes included suicide, overdose, opioid-specific overdose, and all-cause death. Secondary analyses included evaluating the risk of mortality in recent discontinuation and effect modification by select characteristics. All analyses were conducted in 2020.ResultsVeterans who were not receiving buprenorphine were 4.33 (adjusted hazard ratio; 95% CI=3.60, 5.21) times more likely to die by suicide/overdose than those receiving buprenorphine pharmacotherapy on any given day, with similar protective associations with treatment across secondary outcomes. The risk of suicide/overdose was highest 8-14 days from treatment discontinuation (adjusted hazard ratio=6.54, 95% CI=4.32, 9.91) than in currently receiving buprenorphine pharmacotherapy. There was no evidence of effect modification by the selected covariates.ConclusionsMortality risk was greater among Veterans who were not receiving buprenorphine pharmacotherapy than among those who were. Providers should consider whether buprenorphine pharmacotherapy, either intermittent or continuous, may provide health benefits for their patients and prevent mortality.