Extended-release naltrexone versus buprenorphine-naloxone to treat opioid use disorder among black adults

Novel Therapeutic and Program-Based Approaches to Opioid Use Disorders

Opioid use disorder continues to drive overdose deaths in many countries, including the United States. Illicit fentanyl and its analogues have emerged as key contributors to the complications and mortality associated with opioid use disorder. Medications for opioid use disorder treatment, such as methadone and buprenorphine, are safe and substantially reduce opioid use, infectious complications, and mortality risk, but remain underutilized. Polysubstance use and emerging substances such as xylazine and designer benzodiazepines create additional treatment challenges. Recent clinical and policy innovations in treatment delivery, including telemedicine, bridge clinics, and expanded models for accessing methadone have the potential to increase access to life-saving care for people living with opioid use disorder.

Opioid agonist treatment for people who are dependent on pharmaceutical opioids

BACKGROUND

There are ongoing concerns regarding pharmaceutical opioid-related harms, including overdose and dependence, with an associated increase in treatment demand. People dependent on pharmaceutical opioids appear to differ in important ways from people who use heroin, yet most opioid agonist treatment research has been conducted in people who use heroin.  OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of maintenance opioid agonist pharmacotherapy for the treatment of pharmaceutical opioid dependence.

SEARCH METHODS

We updated our searches of the following databases to January 2022: the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group Specialised Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, four other databases, and two trial registers. We checked the reference lists of included studies for further references to relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included RCTs with adults and adolescents examining maintenance opioid agonist treatments that made the following two comparisons. 1. Full opioid agonists (methadone, morphine, oxycodone, levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), or codeine) versus different full opioid agonists or partial opioid agonists (buprenorphine) for maintenance treatment. 2. Full or partial opioid agonist maintenance versus non-opioid agonist treatments (detoxification, opioid antagonist, or psychological treatment without opioid agonist treatment).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methods.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified eight RCTs that met inclusion criteria (709 participants). We found four studies that compared methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment, and four studies that compared buprenorphine maintenance to either buprenorphine taper (in addition to psychological treatment) or a non-opioid maintenance treatment comparison. We found low-certainty evidence from three studies of a difference between methadone and buprenorphine in favour of methadone on self-reported opioid use at end of treatment (risk ratio (RR) 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28 to 0.86; 165 participants), and low-certainty evidence from four studies finding a difference in favour of methadone for retention in treatment (RR 1.21, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.43; 379 participants). We found low-certainty evidence from three studies showing no difference between methadone and buprenorphine on substance use measured with urine drug screens at end of treatment (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.57 to 1.17; 206 participants), and moderate-certainty evidence from one study of no difference in days of self-reported opioid use (mean difference 1.41 days, 95% CI 3.37 lower to 0.55 days higher; 129 participants). There was low-certainty evidence from three studies of no difference between methadone and buprenorphine on adverse events (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.66 to 1.93; 206 participants). We found low-certainty evidence from four studies favouring maintenance buprenorphine treatment over non-opioid treatments in terms of fewer opioid positive urine drug tests at end of treatment (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.84; 270 participants), and very low-certainty evidence from four studies finding no difference on self-reported opioid use in the past 30 days at end of treatment (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.01; 276 participants). There was low-certainty evidence from three studies of no difference in the number of days of unsanctioned opioid use (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.19, 95% CI -0.47 to 0.09; 205 participants). There was moderate-certainty evidence from four studies favouring buprenorphine maintenance over non-opioid treatments on retention in treatment (RR 3.02, 95% CI 1.73 to 5.27; 333 participants). There was moderate-certainty evidence from three studies of no difference in adverse effects between buprenorphine maintenance and non-opioid treatments (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.07 to 3.48; 252 participants). The main weaknesses in the quality of the data was the use of open-label study designs, and difference in follow-up rates between treatment arms.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is  very low- to moderate-certainty evidence supporting the use of maintenance agonist pharmacotherapy for pharmaceutical opioid dependence. Methadone or buprenorphine did not differ on some outcomes, although on the outcomes of retention and self-reported substance use some results favoured methadone. Maintenance treatment with buprenorphine appears more effective than non-opioid treatments. Due to the overall very low- to moderate-certainty evidence and small sample sizes, there is the possibility that the further research may change these findings.

Racial/ethnic disparities in the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and their effects on residential drug treatment outcomes in the US

BACKGROUND

This study examines racial/ethnic disparities in the use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in residential treatment and the influence of race/ethnicity on the association between MOUD use and treatment retention and completion.

METHODS

Data were extracted from SAMHSA's 2015-2017 Treatment Episode Dataset-Discharge (TEDS-D) datasets for adult opioid admissions/discharges to short-term (ST) (30 days or less) (N = 83,032) or long-term (LT) (> 30 days) residential treatment settings (N=61,626). Logistic regression estimated the likelihood of MOUD use among racial/ethnic groups and the moderation of race/ethnicity on the probability of treatment completion and retention, controlling for background factors.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, compared to Whites, MOUD use was less likely for Blacks in ST (OR = 0.728) and LT settings (OR = 0.725) and slightly less likely for Hispanics in ST settings (OR = 0.859) but slightly more likely for Hispanics in LT settings (OR = 1.107). In ST settings, compared to Whites, the positive effect of MOUD on retention was enhanced for Blacks (OR = 1.191) and Hispanics (OR = 1.234), and the positive effect on treatment completion was enhanced for Hispanics (OR = 1.144). In LT settings, the negative association between MOUD and treatment completion was enhanced for Hispanics (OR = 0.776).

CONCLUSIONS

Access to medications for opioid use disorder in short term residential treatment is particularly beneficial for Blacks and Hispanics, though adjusted models indicate they are less likely to receive it compared to Whites. Results are mixed for long-term residential treatment. Residential addiction treatment may represent an important setting for mitigating low rates of medication initiation and early discontinuation for minority patients.

Monitoring and Improving Naltrexone Adherence in Patients with Substance Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist used for the treatment of patients with opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder. This population often presents problems of follow-up and therapeutic efficacy related to adherence to treatment. The purpose of our study is to provide an exhaustive summary of the current evidence regarding naltrexone adherence in people with substance use disorders and to identify possible variables that may influence adherence to naltrexone.

METHODS

Two searches were performed in bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase), and studies included in the systematic review were those published from January 1, 2011 to September 2020, with participants over 18 years of age, evaluating treatment with naltrexone in alcohol use disorder and opioid use disorder. From the total of 133 articles initially selected, 36 were included and analyzed in the systematic review.

RESULTS

Naltrexone has not demonstrated superiority over other available treatments in terms of adherence and abstinence, although reinforcement systems have obtained favorable results as an additional strategy to improve adherence.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to study other psychosocial variables involved in improving adherence, in addition to taking patient preferences into account in order to improve the external validity of the results.