Lower use of heroin, other illicit opioids with extended-release naltrexone in superiority analysis
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Extended-release naltrexone is noninferior to buprenorphine-naloxone for maintaining short-term abstinence from heroin and other illicit substances, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in JAMA Psychiatry.
Lars Tanum, M.D., from The University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues conducted a 12-week, multicenter trial at five urban addiction clinics in Norway. Opioid-dependent adults were recruited and randomized to daily oral flexible-dose buprenorphine-naloxone (79 individuals) or extended-release naltrexone hydrochloride (80 individuals).
The researchers found that retention was noninferior in the extended-release naltrexone group versus the buprenorphine-naloxone group (difference, -0.1; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.2 to 0.1; P = 0.04), with mean time of 69.3 and 63.7 days, respectively (P = 0.33, log-rank test). Extended-release naltrexone was noninferior to buprenorphine-naloxone in terms of the group proportion of total number of opioid-negative urine drug tests (difference, 0.1; 95 percent confidence interval, -0.04 to 0.2; P < 0.001) and use of heroin (mean difference, -3.2; 95 percent confidence interval, -4.9 to -1.5; P < 0.001) and other illicit opioids (mean difference, -2.7; 95 percent confidence interval, -4.6 to -0.9; P < 0.001). Significantly lower use of heroin and other illicit opioids was seen in the extended-release naltrexone group in superiority analysis. Regarding most other illicit substances, there were no significant differences between the treatment groups.
“Extended-release naltrexone was as effective as buprenorphine-naloxone in maintaining short-term abstinence from heroin and other illicit substances and should be considered as a treatment option for opioid-dependent individuals,” the authors write.
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