| Autor: |
Calcaterra SL; Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA. susan.calcaterra@ucdenver.edu., Bach P; British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada., Chadi A; Faculty of Pharmacy, Montreal University, Montreal, QC, Canada., Chadi N; Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA., Kimmel SD; Section of Infectious Diseases and General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA., Morford KL; Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA., Roy P; Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA., Samet JH; Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA. |
| Abstrakt: |
In the midst of an opioid epidemic, mortality related to opioid overdose continues to rise in the US. Medications to treat opioid use disorder, including methadone and buprenorphine, are highly effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality related to illicit opioid use. Despite the efficacy of these life-saving medications, the majority of people with an opioid use disorder lack access to treatment. This paper briefly reviews the evidence to support the use of medications to treat opioid use disorder with a specific focus on methadone. We discuss the current state of methadone therapy for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the US and present logistical barriers that limit its use. Next, we examine three international pharmacy-based models in which methadone dispensing to treat opioid use disorder occurs outside of an opioid treatment facility. We discuss current challenges and opportunities to incorporate similar methods of methadone dispensing for the treatment of opioid use disorder in the US. Finally, we present our vision to integrate pharmacy-based methadone dispensing into routine opioid use disorder treatment through collaboration between clinicians and pharmacies to improve local access to this life-saving medication. |
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