The introduction of buprenorphine-naloxone (SuboxoneŽ) in Australia: Monitoring the extent of diversion and related harms

NDARC Staff

Louisa Degenhardt, Richard Mattick, Briony Larance and Susannah O'Brien

Other Investigators

Robert Ali (DASSA); James Bell (South East Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service); Adam Winstock (Sydney South West Area Health Service); and Nick Lintzeris (Sydney South West Area Health Service)

Aims

Buprenorphine-naloxone (SuboxoneŽ) was registered in Australia in 2005 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and has been available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme since April 2006. The present study monitors the extent of diversion and injection of buprenorphine-naloxone over the three years following its release.

Design and Method

Comparisons will be made between the three main pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence (methadone, buprenorphine and buprenorphine-naloxone). The study will triangulate data from the following sources:
The study will also review the international experience of buprenorphine-naloxone and the Australian policy context (national and jurisdictional).

Progress

Output

Conference presentations:

Larance, B. The introduction of buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone) in Australia: A comparative study of diversion and injection. SPHCM Postgraduate Research Student Conference, Sydney, 27 October, 2006.

Larance, B. The introduction of Suboxone: Monitoring the extent of diversion and related harms. Paper presented at Meeting New Challenges: APSAD Conference 2006, Cairns, 5-8 November, 2006.

Larance, B., Degenhardt, L., Mattick, R., Ali, R., Bell, J., Lintzeris, N., & Winstock, A. Surveillance studies montioring the extent of diversion and injection of buprenorphine-naloxone in Australia: Preliminary findings. Harm Reduction 2008 (IHRA conference), Barcelona, Spain, 11-15 May, 2008.

Larance, B., Degenhardt, L., Mattick, R., Ali, R., Bell, J., Lintzeris, N., & Winstock, A. The diversion and injection of opioid substitution treatment (OST) following the introduction of buprenorphine-naloxone: Preliminary findings from surveillance studies in Australia. Presented at Europad 2008 (European Opiate Addiction Treatment Association conference), Sofia, Bulgaria, 29-31 May, 2008.

Mattick, R. P. Suboxone Post Market Surveillance. National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre Annual Symposium, Sydney, 31 July - 1 August, 2008.

Papers:

Degenhardt, L., Larance, B., Bell, J., Winstock, A., Lintzeris, N., Ali, R., Scheuer, N., & Mattick, R. (2008). Injection of opioid substitution treatment in Australia following the introduction of a mixed partial agonist-antagonist opioid medication (submitted)

Larance, B., Degenhardt, L., Lintzeris, N., Winstock, A., Bell, J., Ali, R., & Hall, W. (2008). Adherence, non-adherence and diversion: A proposal for better-defining behaviours related to the use of pharmaceutical opioids (submitted)

Funding

Reckitt Benckiser Pty Ltd.