A study of mortality among participants in a double blind randomised controlled trial of the efficacy of methadone and buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid dependence

NDARC Staff

Richard Mattick, Amy Gibson, Susannah O’Brien and Louisa Degenhardt

Other Investigators

Jason White and Robert Ali (University of Adelaide)

Aims

This study aimed to look at the mortality in a group of study participants recruited to a randomised controlled trial of buprenorphine or methadone to compare the impact of treatment on mortality and causes of death.

Design and Method

A multi-site randomized controlled trial using a double blind, double dummy design. Three treatment centres (two in Sydney, one in Adelaide) recruited a total of 405 heroin dependent people who were randomly allocated to methadone or buprenorphine maintenance treatment in a study that commenced in 1996. This study obtained Births, Deaths and Marriages mortality and cause of death data for these subjects. Predictors of mortality in the two treatment groups were analysed using the study baseline and follow up data.

Benefits

Output

Funding

National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre