Buprenorphine/Naloxone vs Methadone for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

JAMA Network

This population-based retrospective cohort study assessed whether the use of buprenorphine/naloxone is associated with lower risk of treatment discontinuation and mortality compared with methadone. It included 30,891 individuals initiating treatment for the first time during the study period and found that  the risk of treatment discontinuation was higher among recipients of buprenorphine/naloxone compared with methadone (88.8% vs 81.5% within 24 months). The risk of mortality was low while in either form of treatment (0.08% vs 0.13%).  Individuals receiving methadone had a lower risk of treatment discontinuation compared with those who received buprenorphine/naloxone. The risk of mortality while receiving treatment was similar between medications.

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