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Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2023, 25, N4 (pages: 33 - 40)

Differences in the time needed for solid versus liquid delivery of methadone for patients with Opioid Use Disorder in Italy: The SO.LI.D.O 2 study

Bruno G.M., Caruggi M., Ciccarone A., Valentino M.C., Ariano V., De Fazio S., Leonardi C., Ventre G., Riglietta M., Somaini L., Corbetta Andrea for the SO.LI.D.O. 2 Group, and Colombo G.L.

Summary: The management of opioid use disorder (OUD) requires long-term treatment. Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) with long-acting opioids is the most effective pharmacological approach for treating OUD. This prospective, cross-sectional, observational, real-world study aimed to compare the amount of time needed to prepare and deliver liquid formulations of OAT (methadone) to that required by solid formulations of OAT (buprenorphine or buprenorphine /naloxone). Methods: To evaluate the time needed to prepare and deliver solid or liquid formulations of take-home OAT, 13 addiction centres were involved. Six and 13-day take-home treatments were considered, and a cumulative or fractionated take-home regimen for the liquid formulation was also considered. Results: For 6-day take-home regimens, the overall average preparation time was 179 vs 153 seconds (-15%) for liquid vs solid OAT formulations, respectively. Regarding 13-day take-home regimens, it resulted in 233 vs 182 seconds (-22%) for liquid vs solid OAT formulations, respectively. Considering the preparation modalities of liquid formulations (cumulative vs fractionated), the time saving spanned from –6% to –52% in favour of the solid formulations. Conclusion: Solid formulation of OAT could be an effective way to reduce the preparation and to dispense the burden of OAT drugs compared to liquid formulations, thus providing potential benefits for addiction centres' organisation and management.