Synthetic cannabinoid detection in patients admitted for drug rehabilitation in the United Arab Emirates.

This paper describes the investigation of synthetic cannabinoid news psychoactive substances in drug rehabilitation patients in the UAE. This represents the latest data for such drugs in the Gulf region.

Lower buprenorphine elimination rate constant is associated with lower opioid use.

BACKGROUND: Opioid craving is suggested to correlate with the rate of reduction in buprenorphine (BUP) plasma levels. No studies explored Buprenorphine elimination rate constant (BUP EL.R) as a predictor of opioid use or retention in BUP treatment. METHODS: Analysis was performed using data from a randomized controlled trial of 141 adults with opioid use disorder (OUD) randomized to Incentivized Adherence and Abstinence monitoring (I-AAM; experimental (n = 70) and treatment-as-usual; control (n = 71). In the I-AAM, structured access to unsupervised BUP doses was provided up to 28 days contingent of adherence measured by Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and abstinence by Urinary Drug Screens (UDS). In contrast, the treatment-as-usual (control) provided unstructured access to unsupervised doses was provided for up to 14 days considering UDS results. The primary outcome was percentage negative UDS. The secondary outcome, retention in treatment, was continuous enrollment in the study and analysis was via intention-to-treat. Significant bivariate correlations with the outcomes were adjusted for group allocation. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation between BUP EL.R and percentage negative opioid screens (Pearson correlation coefficient - 0.57, p < 0.01) was found. After adjusting for trial group, BUP EL.R was shown to be an independent predictor of percentage negative opioid screens (Standardized Beta Coefficient - 0.57, 95% CI - 221.57 to - 97.44, R2 0.322). CONCLUSION: BUP EL.R predicted 32.2% of the variation in percentage negative opioid UDS and may serve as a potential promising tool in precision medicine of BUP treatment. Higher buprenorphine elimination is associated with higher positive opioid urine screens during treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN41645723 retrospectively registered on 15/11/2015.

Exploratory Economic Evaluation of Buprenorphine Treatment in Opioid Use Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Burden of opioid use disorder (OUD) is expressed in economic values or health metrics like Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). Disability Weight (DW), a component of DALYs is estimated using economic methods or psychometric tools. Estimating DW at patient level using psychometric tools is an alternative to non-population specific DW overestimated by economic methods. Providing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) using buprenorphine/naloxone film (BUP/NX-F) for OUD is limited by financial constraints. AIM: To estimate the burden of OUD at patient level and explore the cost-benefit of two buprenorphine treatment interventions. METHODS: The present study was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial of 141 adults with OUD stabilized on BUP/NX-F and randomized to BUP/NX-F with Incentivized Abstinence and Adherence Monitoring (experimental, n=70) and BUP/NX-F in usual care (control, n=71). The cost of illness was estimated applying a societal perspective. The Impairment Weight (IW) was estimated over a '0' to '1' scale, where '0' represents no impairment and '1' full impairment using the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS). RESULTS: Median (interquartile range) annual cost of OUD per participant was AED 498,171.1 (413,499.0 -635,725.3) and AED 538,694.4 (4,211,398.0 - 659,949.0) in the experimental and control groups, respectively (p=0.33). Illicit drug purchase represented 60 % of the annual cost of illness. At baseline, the mean Impairment Weight (IW) was 0.55 (SD 0.26) and 0.62 (SD 0.24) in the experimental and control groups, respectively. At end of the study, the IW was 0.26 (SD 0.28) representing 51% reduction in the experimental group compared to 0.42 (SD 0.33) in the control group representing a 27% reduction. Excluding imprisonment, the cost-benefit of treatment was not realized. In contrast, accounting for imprisonment, cost benefit expressed as a return-on-investment was established at 1.55 and 1.29 in the experimental and control groups, respectively. IMPLICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH POLICY: Cost benefit analysis can serve as a simple and practical tool to evaluate the cost benefit of treatment interventions. Demonstrating the cost benefit of buprenorphine treatment has the potential to facilitate public funding and accessibility to opioid assisted treatment.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Buprenorphine/Naloxone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: Clinical Feasibility and Optimizing Assay Precision.

INTRODUCTION: Compliance with sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone (SL-BUP/NX) is associated with higher abstinence from illicit opioid use. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) has been recommended for adherence monitoring of buprenorphine (BUP) maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), but to date there have been no reported clinical applications. In this TDM feasibility study, we investigated BUP assay precision in 15 adults with OUD who had been stabilized on buprenorphine/naloxone. METHODS: Using solid phase extraction, BUP recovery was contrasted at 100 mMol and 1 Molar of acetic acid wash solution. Precision was determined by applying the condition generating highest recovery using 0.2 ng/mL and 10 ng/mL standards. Four blood samples were drawn to examine the BUP peak and trough plasma concentrations, and BUP elimination rate was estimated. BUP recovery was examined again in a random sample and contrasted with the concentration predicted applying first-order kinetics. RESULTS: Higher BUP recovery was achieved with 1 Molar wash (94.3%; p=0.05). Precision ranged from 15-20%. The estimated limit of detection (LoD) and limit of quantitation (LoQ) were 0.02 and 0.069 ng/mL, respectively. BUP peak and trough concentrations were successfully examined, and BUP trough concentrations were replicated confirming steady state. BUP concentrations were predicted at a variance of -7.20% to 1.54 %. CONCLUSIONS: TDM for BUP maintenance treatment of OUD is feasible, and simple adjustment of the assay conditions enhances BUP recovery.

Suboxone Treatment and Recovery Trial (STAR-T): Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial of Opioid Medication Assisted Treatment with Adjunctive Medication Management Using Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Contingency Management.

INTRODUCTION: Opioid assisted treatment (OAT) with buprenorphine (BUP) is front-line medical maintenance intervention for illicit and prescription opioid use disorder (OUD). In many clinics, opioid medication is dispensed for several days for self-administration. This provides flexibility to the patient but may compromise the effectiveness of OAT because of nonadherence or medication diversion. OAT can be delivered as an entirely supervised intervention, but many patients discontinue treatment under this arrangement and dispensing costs may be prohibitive. An alternative is to enable patients to receive take-home doses contingent on OAT adherence guided by a medication management framework using Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM) alongside negative urine drug screens (UDS) to provide evidence of abstinence. TDM is recommended to monitor adherence with BUP but it has not been applied in OAT programs and evaluation research to date. METHODS: The Suboxone Treatment and Recovery Trial (STAR-T) is a single site, 16-week, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial. The aim of the study is to determine the effectiveness of a medication management framework including TDM and UDS to enable patients enrolled on outpatient OAT (with buprenorphine/naloxone [sublingual film formulation; BUP/NX-F; Suboxone™]) to receive stepped take-home doses. Following stabilisation during inpatient care, adult participants with illicit or prescription OUD were allocated (1:1) to receive (1) BUP/NX-F plus medication management for take-home doses based on TDM, UDS, and contingency management protocol (the experimental group) or (2) BUP/NX-F plus UDS only (treatment-as-usual, the control group). The primary outcome is the mean percentage of negative UDS over 16 weeks. The secondary outcome is treatment retention defined as completion of 16 weeks of OAT without interruption. There will be an exploratory analysis of the association between participant characteristics, clinical data, and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Providing BUP/NX-F take-home doses contingent on adherence and opioid abstinence may enable OAT to be delivered flexibly and effectively. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN41645723 is retrospectively registered on 15/11/2015.