Use of Buprenorphine in the Management of Opioid-Addicted Patients

Introduction: Dependence on opioid drugs is a major health and social issue in most societies. In the United States, it was estimated that there are at least 1 million opioid-dependent persons with heroin dependence costing $21 billion per year with drug treatment expenses accounting for 5.7 percent of the total cost (Jones, Moore, Sindelar, O'Conner, Schottnefeld, & Fiellin, 2009). Given these costs, an effective treatment for heroin dependence would be a good investment for society.

Methods: This secondary data analysis is an evaluation of the Baltimore Buprenorphine Initiative. The sample consisted of subjects treated in the Baltimore Buprenorphine Initiative (BBI), and was evaluated against two comparison groups: patients receiving methadone treatment and a second a group of patients receiving intensive outpatient treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographics of all three groups. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare specific differences between the three groups, and multiple regression (OLS) was used to understand length of stay in the groups.

Results: Using LOS as a proxy for treatment success, it was demonstrated that for those involved the in BBI program, LOS decreased by 449.3 days as compared to those patients in the traditional methadone program. However, subjects in IOP treatment group had a decreased LOS by 429 days as compared to those patients in the BBI program.

Conclusions: A range of treatment exists for heroin addiction, including medications and behavioral therapies. Studies such as this one demonstrate that buprenorphine is a plausible solution to effectively address heroin addiction.