Patient-Reported Outcomes of Treatment of Opioid Dependence With Weekly and Monthly Subcutaneous Depot vs Daily Sublingual Buprenorphine

Opioid dependence is a chronic relapsing disorder with considerable individual and global public health burden. The current standard of care for opioid dependence includes treatment with methadone or sublingual (SL) buprenorphine or buprenorphine-naloxone (hereafter, buprenorphine), combined with psychosocial and behavioral support. Both medications are associated with reductions in mortality, illicit opioid use, bloodborne viral infections, and criminal behavior as well as better cost-effectiveness than no treatment or psychosocial treatment alone. Buprenorphine is a partial μ-opioid receptor agonist, enabling office-based treatment for nonsupervised or take-home use of the medication. However, SL formulations of buprenorphine are prone to nonmedical use (eg, injecting, diversion), prompting models of care, particularly in the early phases of treatment, requiring regular attendance at clinics or pharmacies for administration of doses.