CODA research staff is a co-author of a recent publication, “Treatment Retention among Patients Randomized to Buprenorphine/Naloxone Compared to Methadone in a Multi-site Trial,” which examined treatment retention and continued illicit opioid use by individuals receiving methadone versus buprenorphine/naloxone.
Some background: From 2006-2010, CODA Research participated in a randomized clinical trial funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse in what is officially known as CTN-0027, the START study. (START is “Starting Treatment with Agonist Replacement Therapy.”) The study set out to compare changes in liver enzymes related to treatment with buprenorphine/naloxone or methadone in opioid dependent outpatient participants.
The 24-week treatment included 1,269 participants in nine opioid treatment programs nationwide. More than 200 of those participants were from CODA.
Findings from the current publication co-authored by CODA Research include:
There were significant differences in the rates of treatment completion between the two groups. Whereas the treatment completion rate was 46% for those participants treated with buprenorphine/naloxone, those treated with methadone had a 74% completion rate.
Furthermore, higher doses of both buprenorphine/naloxone and methadone produced higher treatment completion rates (60% and 80% respectively). Participants on buprenorphine/naloxone had fewer positive urine tests for illicit opioids than those treated with methadone.
CODA is grateful to be part of this important research and to support work of NIDA and the Clinical Trials Network. CODA’s patients benefit directly–we use the findings from studies like this one to help us better serve their needs.