In developed countries around the globe, the standard of care for opiate addiction is what’s known as “medically assisted treatment.” Under a doctor’s supervision, people with addictive disorders are prescribed medications like methadone, buprenorphine and Suboxone, which remove the cravings associated with opiate addiction.

In the U.S., however, by far the most common form of treatment is based around the concept of strict abstinence. Advocates of the abstinence model consider the use of Suboxone or methadone to be tantamount to using heroin itself. Many in the medical establishment oppose the abstinence model — as do officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration — and a recent Huffington Post investigation found t…

In developed countries around the globe, the standard of care for opiate addiction is what’s known as “medically assisted treatment.” Under a doctor’s supervision, people with addictive disorders are prescribed medications like methadone, buprenorphine and Suboxone, which remove the cravings associated with opiate addiction.

In the U.S., however, by far the most common form of treatment is based around the concept of strict abstinence. Advocates of the abstinence model consider the use of Suboxone or methadone to be tantamount to using heroin itself. Many in the medical establishment oppose the abstinence model — as do officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration — and a recent Huffington Post investigation found t…

Updated Date: Feb 11, 2015 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

Updated Date: Feb 11, 2015 EST (Source: DailyMed Drug Label Updates for the last seven days (since May 20, 2007 EST))

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)

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)

Conclusions
There was no clinically meaningful impact of boceprevir on methadone or buprenorphine pharmacokinetics, suggesting that methadone/buprenorphine dose adjustments are not required upon coadministration with boceprevir. Individual patients may differ in their clinical experience and clinicians should maintain vigilance when coadministering these medications. (Source: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)

Conclusions
There was no clinically meaningful impact of boceprevir on methadone or buprenorphine pharmacokinetics, suggesting that methadone/buprenorphine dose adjustments are not required upon coadministration with boceprevir. Individual patients may differ in their clinical experience and clinicians should maintain vigilance when coadministering these medications. (Source: European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology)