Study Shows Promising Results for Injectable Treatment for Opioid Dependence

A new injectable treatment for opioid addiction showed promise in a late-stage study, according to The Wall Street Journal. The study involved weekly and monthly injections of buprenorphine for the treatment of moderate to severe opioid use disorder.

Buprenorphine is currently available as a tablet and as film that dissolves in the mouth. According to Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, which makes the new treatment, the study included 428 patients. It showed the injections were superior to the tablet treatment.

The company plans to submit the drug for approval by mid-2017, the article notes.

“A weekly buprenorphine injection would be an attractive option for initiation, early treatment, and treatment of unstable patients, where weekly medical visits are common, whereas a monthly injection is an attractive option for longer term maintenance treatment where monthly visits are common practice,” Dr. Edward Nunes, MD, Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and Investigator in the study, said in a news release.