A pilot implementation study to scale-up methadone in incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder and retain them on treatment after release in Moldova.

BACKGROUND: Eastern Europe and Central Asia have intertwined HIV and incarceration epidemics, concentrated in people who inject drugs. Moldova is one of the few countries in this region that offers methadone within prisons, but uptake and post-release retention remains suboptimal. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) procedures are a potential implementation strategy to address this problem. METHODS: From June 1, 2017 to March 3, 2018, we conducted a 2-stage SBIRT strategy in nine prisons and four pre-trial detention facilities in Moldova among incarcerated persons with opioid use disorder (OUD; N = 121) and within 90 days of release. Survey results were analyzed to evaluate the effect of the SBIRT strategy on the uptake of and post-release retention on methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). RESULTS: Among the 121 screened with OUD, 27 were on MMT at baseline within the prison and this number increased to 41 after the two-step SBIRT intervention, reflecting a 51.9% increase over baseline. Eleven (78.6%) of the 14 participants that newly started MMT did so only after completing both SBIRT sessions. The brief intervention did not significantly improve knowledge about methadone but did improve attitudes towards it. Among the 41 participants who received methadone during this trial, 40 (97.6%) were retained 6 months after release; the one participant not retained was on methadone at the time of the intervention and had planned to taper off. CONCLUSION: The SBIRT strategy significantly improved participant attitudes, but treatment initiation mostly occurred after completing both sessions, including soon after release, but remained low overall. Work within the Moldovan prison subculture to dispel negative myths and misinformation is needed to further scale-up OAT in Moldova.

Drug injection within prison in Kyrgyzstan: elevated HIV risk and implications for scaling up opioid agonist treatments.

Purpose Within-prison drug injection (WPDI) is a particularly high HIV risk behavior, yet has not been examined in Central Asia. A unique opportunity in Kyrgyzstan where both methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and needle-syringe programs (NSP) exist allowed further inquiry into this high risk environment. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A randomly selected, nationally representative sample of prisoners within six months of release in Kyrgyzstan completed biobehavioral surveys. Inquiry about drug injection focused on three time periods (lifetime, 30 days before incarceration and during incarceration). The authors performed bivariate and multivariable generalized linear modeling with quasi-binomial distribution and logit link to determine the independent correlates of current WPDI. Findings Of 368 prisoners (13 percent women), 109 (35 percent) had ever injected drugs, with most (86 percent) reporting WPDI. Among those reporting WPDI, 34.8 percent had initiated drug injection within prison. Despite nearly all (95 percent) drug injectors having initiated MMT previously, current MMT use was low with coverage only reaching 11 percent of drug injectors. Two factors were independently correlated with WPDI: drug injection in the 30 days before the current incarceration (AOR=12.6; 95%CI=3.3-48.9) and having hepatitis C infection (AOR: 10.1; 95%CI=2.5-41.0). Originality/value This study is the only examination of WPDI from a nationally representative survey of prisoners where both MMT and NSP are available in prisons and in a region where HIV incidence and mortality are increasing. WPDI levels were extraordinarily high in the presence of low uptake of prison-based MMT. Interventions that effectively scale-up MMT are urgently required as well as an investigation of the environmental factors that contribute to the interplay between MMT and WPDI.

Using nominal group technique among clinical providers to identify barriers and prioritize solutions to scaling up opioid agonist therapies in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: Opioid agonist therapies (OAT) like methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment remain markedly under-scaled in Ukraine despite adequate funding. Clinicians and administrators were assembled as part of an implementation science strategy to scale-up OAT using the Network for Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) approach. METHODS: Nominal Group Technique (NGT), a key ingredient of the NIATx toolkit, was directed by three trained coaches within a learning collaborative of 18 OAT clinicians and administrators to identify barriers to increase OAT capacity at the regional "oblast" level, develop solutions, and prioritize local change projects. NGT findings were supplemented from detailed notes collected during the NGT discussion. RESULTS: The top three identified barriers included: (1) Strict regulations and inflexible policies dictating distribution and dispensing of OAT; (2) No systematic approach to assessing OAT needs on regional or local level; and (3) Limited funding and financing mechanisms combined with a lack of local/regional control over funding for OAT treatment services. CONCLUSIONS: NGT provides a rapid strategy for individuals at multiple levels to work collaboratively to identify and address structural barriers to OAT scale-up. This technique creates a transparent process to address and prioritize complex issues. Targeting these priorities allowed leaders at the regional and national level to advocate collectively for approaches to minimize obstacles and create policies to improve OAT services.

HIV incidence among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Ukraine: results from a clustered randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Ukraine is among the highest in the world. In this study, we aimed to assess whether a social network intervention was superior to HIV testing and counselling in affecting HIV incidence among PWID. Although this was not the primary aim of the study, it is associated with reducing drug and sex risk behaviours, which were primary aims. METHODS: In this clustered randomised trial, PWID who were 16 years of age or older, had used self-reported drug injection in the past 30 days, were willing to be interviewed for about 1 hour and tested for HIV, were not too impaired to comprehend and provide informed consent, and, for this paper, who tested HIV negative at baseline were recruited from the streets by project outreach workers in three cities in southern and eastern Ukraine: Odessa, Donetsk, and Nikolayev. Index or peer leaders, along with two of their network members, were randomly assigned (1:1) by the study statistician to the testing and counselling block (control group) or the testing and counselling plus a social network intervention block (intervention group). No stratification or minimisation was done. Participants in the network intervention received five sessions to train their network members in risk reduction. Those participants assigned to the control group received no further intervention after counselling. The main outcome of this study was HIV seroconversion in the intent-to-treat population as estimated with Cox regression and incorporating a γ frailty term to account for clustering. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov, number NCT01159704. FINDINGS: Between July 12, 2010, and Nov 23, 2012, 2304 PWIDs were recruited, 1200 of whom were HIV negative and are included in the present study. 589 index or peer leaders were randomly assigned to the control group and 611 were assigned to the intervention group. Of the 1200 HIV-negative participants, 1085 (90%) were retained at 12 months. In 553·0 person-years in the intervention group, 102 participants had seroconversion (incidence density 18·45 per 100 person-years; 95% CI 14·87-22·03); in 497·1 person-years in the control group 158 participants seroconverted (31·78 per 100 person-years; 26·83-36·74). This corresponded to a reduced hazard in the intervention group (hazard ratio 0·53, 95% CI 0·38-0·76, p=0·0003). No study-related adverse events were reported. INTERPRETATION: These data provide strong support for integrating peer education into comprehensive HIV prevention programmes for PWID and suggest the value in developing and testing peer-led interventions to improve access and adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis and antiretroviral therapy. FUNDING: The National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Trials and tribulations of conducting bio-behavioral surveys in prisons: implementation science and lessons from Ukraine.

Purpose - Ukraine is home to Europe's worst HIV epidemic, overwhelmingly fueled by people who inject drugs who face harsh prison sentences. In Ukraine, HIV and other infectious diseases are concentrated in prisons, yet the magnitude of this problem had not been quantified. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the systematic health survey of prisoners in the former Soviet Union (FSU). Design/methodology/approach - Qualitative interviews were carried out with research and prison administrative staff to assess the barriers and facilitators to conducting a bio-behavioral survey in Ukrainian prisons. Findings - Crucial barriers at the institutional, staff, and participant level require addressing by: first, ensuring Prison Department involvement at every stage; second, tackling pre-conceived attitudes about drug addiction and treatment among staff; and third, guaranteeing confidentiality for participants. Originality/value - The burden of many diseases is higher than expected and much higher than in the community. Notwithstanding the challenges, scientifically rigorous bio-behavioral surveys are attainable in criminal justice systems in the FSU with collaboration and careful consideration of this specific context.

Krokodile Injectors in Ukraine: Fueling the HIV Epidemic?

This study was designed to assess the characteristics of krokodile injectors, a recent phenomenon in Ukraine, and HIV-related risk factors among people who inject drugs (PWID). In three Ukraine cities, Odessa, Donetsk and Nikolayev, 550 PWID were recruited between December 2012 and October 2013 using modified targeted sampling methods. The sample averaged 31 years of age and they had been injecting for over 12 years. Overall, 39 % tested positive for HIV, including 45 % of krokodile injectors. In the past 30 days, 25 % reported injecting krokodile. Those who injected krokodile injected more frequently (p < 0.001) and they injected more often with others (p = 0.005). Despite knowing their HIV status to be positive, krokodile users did not reduce their injection frequency, indeed, they injected as much as 85 % (p = 0.016) more frequently than those who did not know their HIV status or thought they were negative. This behavior was not seen in non-krokodile using PWID. Although only a small sample of knowledgeable HIV positive krokodile users was available (N = 12), this suggests that krokodile users may disregard their HIV status more so than nonkrokodile users. In spite of widespread knowledge of its harmful physical consequences, a growing number of PWID are turning to injecting krokodile in Ukraine. Given the recency of krokodile use the country, the associated higher frequency of injecting, a propensity to inject more often with others, and what could be a unique level of disregard of HIV among krokodile users, HIV incidence could increase in future years.

Burden of substance use disorders, mental illness, and correlates of infectious diseases among soon-to-be released prisoners in Azerbaijan.

BACKGROUND: Despite low HIV prevalence in the South Caucasus region, transmission is volatile. Little data are available from this region about addiction and infectious diseases among prisoners who transition back to communities. METHODS: A nation-wide randomly sampled biobehavioral health survey was conducted in 13 non-specialty Azerbaijani prisons among soon-to-be-released prisoners. After informed consent, participants underwent standardized health assessment surveys and testing for HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. RESULTS: Of the 510 participants (mean age = 38.2 years), 11.4% were female, and 31.9% reported pre-incarceration drug injection, primarily of heroin. Prevalence of HCV (38.2%), HIV (3.7%), syphilis (3.7%), and HBV (2.7%) was high. Among the 19 HIV-infected inmates, 14 (73.7%) were aware of their HIV status, 12 (63.2%) were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 5 (26.3%) had CD4 < 350 cells/mL (4 of these were on ART). While drug injection was the most significant independent correlate of HCV (AOR = 12.9; p = 0.001) and a significant correlate of HIV (AOR = 8.2; p = 0.001), both unprotected sex (AOR = 3.31; p = 0.049) and working in Russia/Ukraine (AOR = 4.58; p = 0.008) were also correlated with HIV. CONCLUSION: HIV and HCV epidemics are concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Azerbaijan, and magnified among prisoners. A transitioning HIV epidemic is emerging from migration from high endemic countries and heterosexual risk. The high diagnostic rate and ART coverage among Azerbaijani prisoners provides new evidence that HIV treatment as prevention in former Soviet Union (FSU) countries is attainable, and provides new insights for HCV diagnosis and treatment as new medications become available. Within prison evidence-based addiction treatments with linkage to community care are urgently needed.

Challenges to implementing opioid substitution therapy in Ukrainian prisons: Personnel attitudes toward addiction, treatment, and people with HIV/AIDS.

BACKGROUND: Ukraine is experiencing one of the most volatile HIV epidemics globally, fueled primarily by people who inject drugs (PWIDs), and a parallel incarceration epidemic. Opioid substitution therapy (OST) is internationally recognized as one of the most effective forms of treatment for opioid dependence and is among the most effective HIV prevention strategies available, yet efforts to adopt it in Ukraine's Criminal Justice System (CJS) have been thwarted. METHODS: To understand the reluctance of the Ukrainian CJS to adopt OST despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to its health benefits and improved criminal justice outcomes, we conducted the first survey of Ukrainian prison administrative, medical and custodial staff (N=243) attitudes towards addiction in general, OST, and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in representative regions of Ukraine. RESULTS: Results revealed that Ukrainian CJS workers' attitudes toward OST, PLWHA, and drug addiction were universally negative, but differed substantially along geographic and occupational lines. Whereas geographic and cultural proximity to the European Union drove positive attitudes in the west, in the southern region we observed an identifiability effect, as workers who worked directly with prisoners held the most positive attitudes. We also found that knowledge mediated the effect of drug intolerance on OST attitudes. CONCLUSION: In Ukraine, adoption of OST is more influenced by myths, biases and ideological prejudices than by existing scientific evidence. By elucidating existing attitudes among CJS personnel, this study will help to direct subsequent interventions to address the barriers to implementing evidence-based HIV prevention treatments.

Correlates of HIV infection and being unaware of HIV status among soon-to-be-released Ukrainian prisoners.

INTRODUCTION: Prisoners bear a disproportionate burden of Ukraine's volatile and transitional HIV epidemic, yet little is known in Eastern Europe about HIV testing, treatment and HIV-related risk among prisoners. METHODS: A nationally representative biobehavioural health survey linked with serological testing was conducted among soon-to-be released prisoners in 13 Ukrainian prisons from June to November 2011. RESULTS: Among 402 participants, 78 (19.4%) tested HIV seropositive of whom 38 (50.7%) were previously unaware of their HIV status. Independent correlates of HIV infection included drug injection (AOR=4.26; 95% CI: 2.23-8.15), female gender (AOR=2.00; 95% CI: 1.06-3.78), previous incarceration (AOR=1.99; 95% CI: 1.07-3.70) and being from Southern Ukraine (AOR=5.46; 95% CI: 2.21-13.46). Those aware of being HIV-positive reported significantly more pre-incarceration sex- and drug-related HIV risk behaviours than those who were unaware. CONCLUSIONS: Routine rather than risk-based HIV testing and expansion of opioid substitution and antiretroviral therapy among prisoners is urgently needed to reduce HIV transmission in volatile transitional HIV epidemics.

Integration of health services improves multiple healthcare outcomes among HIV-infected people who inject drugs in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: People who inject drugs (PWID) experience poor outcomes and fuel HIV epidemics in middle-income countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We assess integrated/co-located (ICL) healthcare for HIV-infected PWID, which despite international recommendations, is neither widely available nor empirically examined. METHODS: A 2010 cross-sectional study randomly sampled 296 HIV-infected opioid-dependent PWID from two representative HIV-endemic regions in Ukraine where ICL, non-co-located (NCL) and harm reduction/outreach (HRO) settings are available. ICL settings provide onsite HIV, addiction, and tuberculosis services, NCLs only treat addiction, and HROs provide counseling, needles/syringes, and referrals, but no opioid substitution therapy (OST). The primary outcome was receipt of quality healthcare, measured using a quality healthcare indicator (QHI) composite score representing percentage of eight guidelines-based recommended indicators met for HIV, addiction and tuberculosis treatment. The secondary outcomes were individual QHIs and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). RESULTS: On average, ICL-participants had significantly higher QHI composite scores compared to NCL- and HRO-participants (71.9% versus 54.8% versus 37.0%, p<0.001) even after controlling for potential confounders. Compared to NCL-participants, ICL-participants were significantly more likely to receive antiretroviral therapy (49.5% versus 19.2%, p<0.001), especially if CD4 ≤ 200 (93.8% versus 62.5% p<0.05); guideline-recommended OST dosage (57.3% versus 41.4%, p<0.05); and isoniazid preventive therapy (42.3% versus 11.2%, p<0.001). Subjects receiving OST had significantly higher HRQoL than those not receiving it (p<0.001); however, HRQoL did not differ significantly between ICL- and NCL-participants. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that OST alone improves quality-of-life, while receiving care in integrated settings collectively and individually improves healthcare quality indicators for PWID.

A review of medical and substance use co-morbidities in Central Asian prisons: implications for HIV prevention and treatment.

BACKGROUND: HIV incidence in Central Asia is rising rapidly. People who inject drugs (PWIDs) contribute greatest to the epidemic, with more than a quarter of all HIV cases being in the criminal justice system (CJS). This review assembled and aggregated recent data on drug-related health problems and respective healthcare services in the CJS of Central Asia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. METHODS: Online databases and published literature (peer-reviewed and gray) were reviewed. Additionally, prison officials in the 6 countries were invited to participate in a survey and prison administrators from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan completed it. RESULTS: The data on conditions and healthcare in Central Asian prisons are inconsistent and lack unbiased details. Reporting is primarily based on "official" disease registries, which markedly underestimate prevalence. Even these limited data, however, indicate that HIV prevalence and drug-related health problems are high, concentrated and, in some countries, rising rapidly in CJS. Only some of the range of HIV prevention interventions recommended by international organizations have been implemented in the region with two of the crucial interventions, needle and syringe exchange programs (NSP) and opioid substitution therapy (OST), only available in prisons in Kyrgyzstan, with Tajikistan implementing a pilot NSP and contemplating introduction of prison-based OST. CONCLUSIONS: Despite deficiencies in routine health reporting and insufficient HIV sentinel surveillance undertaken in prisons, the data available on the concentration of HIV within at-risk populations in prisons indicate a necessity to broaden the range and increase the scale the scale of HIV prevention and treatment services.

Law enforcement practices associated with HIV infection among injection drug users in Odessa, Ukraine.

Despite HIV prevention efforts over the past 10 years in Odessa, Ukraine, HIV rates among injection drug users (IDUs) remain high. We explored whether IDUs' experiences with the police and court system in Odessa were associated with HIV serostatus, after controlling for other factors. Qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with the police and members of court (N = 19), and focus groups with IDUs (N = 42), were employed to aid in developing a survey instrument for a larger quantitative phase and to assist in interpreting the findings from the quantitative phase, which included 200 participants who were interviewed and tested for HIV. Overall, 55 % tested positive for HIV. Negative experiences with the police were noted by 86 % and included having preloaded syringes taken (66 %), rushed injections due to fear of the police (57 %), police planting drugs (18 %), paying police to avoid arrest (61 %) and threatened by the police to inform on other IDUs (23 %). HIV positive participants were more likely than those who were negative to report these experiences. In a multiple logistic regression, the most significant correlate of HIV infection was rushed injections due to fear of the police. Police actions in Odessa may be contributing to the continued escalation of HIV among IDUs, underscoring the need for structural interventions.

High rates of police detention among recently released HIV-infected prisoners in Ukraine: implications for health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Ukraine's HIV epidemic, primarily affecting people who inject drugs (PWID), is expanding and transitioning despite free opioid substitution therapy (OST) and antiretroviral therapy (ART), two effective ways to reduce HIV transmission. Police detention of PWID not resulting in a formal charge or imprisonment is common, but its prevalence and impact on health are not known. METHOD: HIV-infected individuals (N=97) released from prison within one year were recruited and surveyed in two HIV-endemic Ukrainian cities about post-release police detention experiences. Data on the frequency of police detention, related adverse events, and impact on OST and ART continuity were collected, and correlates of detention were examined using logistic regression. RESULTS: Detention responses were available for 94 (96.9%) participants, of which 55 (58.5%) reported police detentions (mean=9.4 per person-year). For those detained while prescribed OST (N=28) and ART (N=27), medication interruption was common (67.9% and 70.4%, respectively); 23 of 27 participants prescribed OST (85.2%) were detained en route to/from OST treatment. Significant independent correlates of detention without charges included post-release ART prescription (AOR 4.98, p=0.021), current high-risk injection practices (AOR 5.03, p=0.011), male gender (AOR 10.88, p=0.010), and lower lifetime months of imprisonment (AOR 0.99, p=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-infected individuals recently released from prison in Ukraine experience frequent police detentions, resulting in withdrawal symptoms, confiscation of syringes, and interruptions of essential medications, including ART and OST. Structural changes are urgently needed to reduce police detentions in order to control HIV transmission and improve both individual and public health.

Burden of infectious diseases, substance use disorders, and mental illness among Ukrainian prisoners transitioning to the community.

BACKGROUND: The epidemics of incarceration, substance use disorders (SUDs), and infectious diseases are inextricably intertwined, especially in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Few objective data documenting this relationship regionally are available. We therefore conducted a comprehensive, representative country-wide prison health survey in Ukraine, where one of the world's most volatile HIV epidemics persists, in order to address HIV prevention and treatment needs. METHODS: A nation-wide, multi-site randomly sampled biobehavioral health survey was conducted in four Ukrainian regions in 13 prisons among individuals being released within six months. After consent, participants underwent standardized health assessment surveys and serological testing for HIV, viral hepatitis, and syphilis. RESULTS: Of the 402 participants (mean age = 31.9 years), 20.1% were female. Prevalence of HIV, HCV, HBV, and syphilis was 19.4% (95% CI = 15.5%-23.3%), 60.2% (95% CI = 55.1%-65.4%), 5.2% (95% CI = 3.3%-7.2%), and 10% (95% CI = 7.4%-13.2%), respectively, with regional differences observed; HIV prevalence in the south was 28.6%. Among the 78 HIV-infected inmates, 50.7% were unaware of their HIV status and 44 (56.4%) had CD4<350 cells/mL, of which only five (11%) antiretroviral-eligible inmates were receiving it. Nearly half of the participants (48.7%) reported pre-incarcertion drug injection, primarily of opioids, yet multiple substance use (31.6%) and alcohol use disorders (56.6%) were common and 40.3% met screening criteria for depression. CONCLUSIONS: This is the only such representative health study of prisoners in the FSU. This study has important implications for regional prevention and treatment because, unlike elsewhere, there is no recent evidence for reduction in HIV incidence and mortality in the region. The prevalence of infectious diseases and SUDs is high among this sample of prisoners transitioning to the community. It is critical to address pre- and post-release prevention and treatment needs with the development of linkage programs for the continuity of care in the community after release.

Individual and network interventions with injection drug users in 5 Ukraine cities.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the effects of an individual intervention versus a network intervention on HIV-related injection and sexual risk behaviors among street-recruited opiate injection drug users in 5 Ukraine cities. METHODS: Between 2004 and 2006, 722 opiate injection drug users were recruited to participate in interventions that were either individually based or based on a social network model in which peer educators intervened with their network members. Audio computer-assisted self-interview techniques were used to interview participants at baseline and follow-up. RESULTS: Multiple logistic analyses controlling for baseline injection and sexual risks revealed that both peer educators and network members in the network intervention reduced injection-related risk behaviors significantly more than did those in the individually based intervention and that peer educators increased condom use significantly more than did those in the individual intervention. Individual intervention participants, however, showed significantly greater improvements than did network members with respect to reductions in sexual risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Social network interventions may be more effective than individually based interventions in changing injection risk behaviors among both peer educators and network members. The effectiveness of network interventions in changing sexual risk behaviors is less clear, probably owing to network composition and inhibitions regarding discussing sexual risk behaviors.

Interventions with injection drug users in Ukraine.

AIMS: To assess the effectiveness of a brief human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and counseling intervention compared to a more time-consuming and expensive street-based intervention with injection drug users (IDUs). DESIGN: Cross-over experimental design in which 900 IDUs were recruited, followed by a 'wash-out' period with no recruitment, a reversal of intervention assignment areas and an additional recruitment of 900 IDUs with baseline and 6-month follow-up assessments. SETTING: Kiev, Odessa and Makeevka/Donesk Ukraine. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1798 IDUs. MEASUREMENTS: HIV testing and audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) data on socio-demographics, drug use and injection and sex-related risk behaviors. FINDINGS: Participants in both conditions reduced their injection and sex risks significantly; however, there was little difference in outcomes between conditions. IDUs who knew they were HIV-infected at baseline were significantly more likely to practice safe sex than those unaware or HIV-negative; those who first learned that they were infected at baseline changed their safe sex practices significantly more than those who already knew that they were infected at baseline and those who were HIV-negative. Younger IDUs and those injecting for a shorter period of time reported higher injection and sex risk behaviors following interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness of HIV infection by street-recruited drug injectors is associated with reduced sex risks. Additional interventions are required for younger IDUs and those injecting for shorter periods of time.

Key findings from the WHO collaborative study on substitution therapy for opioid dependence and HIV/AIDS.

AIMS: Opioid substitution treatment has been studied extensively in industrialized countries, but there are relatively few studies in developing/transitional countries. The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of opioid substitution treatment (OST) in less resourced countries. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: Purposively selected OST sites in Asia (China, Indonesia, Thailand), Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine), the Middle East (Iran) and Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and twenty-six OST entrants. MEASUREMENTS: Participants were interviewed at treatment entry, 3 and 6 months. Standardized instruments assessed drug use, treatment history, physical and psychological health, quality of life, criminal involvement, blood-borne virus (BBV) risk behaviours and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. FINDINGS: Participants were predominantly male, aged in their early 30s and had attained similar levels of education. Seroprevalence rates for HIV were highest in Thailand (52%), followed by Indonesia (28%) and Iran (26%), and lowest in Australia (2.6%). Treatment retention at 6 months was uniformly high, averaging approximately 70%. All countries demonstrated significant and marked reductions in reported heroin and other illicit opioid use; HIV (and other BBV) exposure risk behaviours associated with injection drug users (IDU) and criminal activity, and demonstrated substantial improvement in their physical and mental health and general wellbeing over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: OST can achieve similar outcomes consistently in a culturally diverse range of settings in low- and middle-income countries to those reported widely in high-income countries. It is associated with a substantial reduction in HIV exposure risk associated with IDU across nearly all the countries. Results support the expansion of opioid substitution treatment.

Stimulant injectors in Ukraine: the next wave of the epidemic?

This study was designed to assess differences in drug and sex-related risk behaviors between injectors of opiates only, opiate/sedative mix only and stimulants only. Participants were current out-of-treatment injection drug users (IDUs), unaware of their HIV status, recruited through street outreach in Kiev, Odessa and Makeevka/Donetsk, Ukraine. Overall, 22% tested positive for HIV, including 39% among opiate/sedative injectors, 19% among opiate injectors and 17% among stimulant injectors. Despite these differences, stimulant injectors were at higher risk than other IDUs in sharing a used needle/syringe, always injecting with others, injecting a drug solution drawn from a common container, having an IDU sex partner, not using condoms during vaginal or anal sex and on composite measures of injection and sex risks. After controlling for age differences, stimulant injectors remained at higher risk in their needle and sex risk behaviors. Without intervention, it is likely that HIV will increase among stimulant injectors.