Suboxone (Reckitt Benckiser) effective in large-scale trial for Opioid Dependence

A new study has found individuals addicted to prescription Opioid painkillers are more likely to succeed in treatment with the aid of the medication Suboxone(buprenorphine plus naloxone), from Reckitt Benckiser. This clinical trial involved more than 600 outpatients dependent on prescription opioids and each received Suboxone in conjunction with Standard Medical Management, in which physicians evaluated treatment effectiveness and recommended abstinence and self-help participation. Fifty percent of study participants also received additional more intensive individual addiction counseling. 49 percent of patients benefitted from Suboxone during a 12-week course of the medication. However, once the medication was discontinued, patients had a high rate of relapse. Individuals showed an increasing rate of relapse the longer they remained off Suboxone and neither having chronic pain, nor participation in intensive addiction counseling affected the participant's success rate. According to Roger Weiss, Chief of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse at McLean Hospital, Massachusetts, USA, most studies examining treatments for Opioid Dependence have been done with heroin-dependent patients at clinics, resulting in the lack of data on treatment for patients addicted to prescription painkillers. See: "Adjunctive Counseling During Brief and Extended Buprenorphine-Naloxone Treatment for Prescription Opioid Dependence - A 2-Phase Randomized Controlled Trial" Roger D. Weiss et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry. Published online November 7, 2011 DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.121