Now comes the hard part: Turning national attention into action

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An AMA Viewpoints post by Patrice A. Harris, MD, chair-elect of the AMA Board of Trustees

A father of five in Charleston, W. Va., last month told President Obama at a public event that if it weren’t for the quick response of police and paramedics earlier this year, his daughter would have died from a drug overdose. She is now in recovery, and the president—and the rest of us in the East End Community Center that day—wished him and his daughter the best.

Recovering from addiction, however, is not like recovering from a broken bone. It is a chronic medical disease that demands our care and compassion—as physicians and as a nation. We know that more than 24,000 Americans die from a prescription opioid or heroin-related overdose every year. Last month in Charleston, the president…

Alcohol and tobacco use in cocaine-dependent participants provided treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone and naltrexone

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Aims: Many individuals with cocaine use disorders also use alcohol and tobacco. A recent study conducted by NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network investigated pharmacotherapy for treatment of cocaine use disorders and also assessed alcohol and tobacco use. (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)

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Intranasal buprenorphine alone and in combination with naloxone: Reinforcing efficacy and abuse liability in physically dependent opioid abusers

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Aims: Buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) was designed to prevent misuse by the intravenous (IV) route, as high naloxone IV bioavailability may precipitate withdrawal. We previously demonstrated that intranasal (IN) administration of BUP/NX results in appreciable absorption of naloxone. The present study explored whether IN BUP/NX has lower abuse potential and reinforcing efficacy compared to IN BUP alone in opioid dependent individuals. (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)

The Cocaine Use Reduction with Buprenorphine study: Cocaine use findings

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Aims: The Cocaine Use Reduction with Buprenorphine (CURB) study, conducted under the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network, investigated the safety and effectiveness of buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP, as Suboxone®) provided on a platform of extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX, as Vivitrol®) for reducing cocaine use in participants who met DSM- IV criteria for cocaine dependence and past or current opioid dependence or abuse. (Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence)