The Untapped Potential of Office-Based Buprenorphine Treatment

Opioid abuse and dependence are reaching epidemic proportions in the United States, resulting in a staggering number of overdose deaths and economic costs that exceed $56 billion annually. Medication-assisted therapies, such as buprenorphine (Suboxone) and methadone, represent the most efficacious treatments for opioid dependence. Office-based buprenorphine treatment is especially well positioned to provide a rapid response to the opioid crisis, particularly in rural areas where efforts to expand methadone clinics often face sizeable barriers and opioid-dependent patients are widely dispersed throughout a large geographic area. However, there has been increasing concern that these life-saving medications are severely underused. (Source: JAMA Psychiatry)