# Presentation: 067399

## Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction: Balancing Medication Access with Quality Care

**Opening Remarks**
**February 21, 2008**
**H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., CAS, FASAM**
**Director**
**Center for Substance Abuse Treatment**
**Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration**

## 	
	President George W. Bush

- 	***President George W. Bush***

***September 2003***

*“**Alcohol addiction and drug addiction are diseases that touch all Americans -- young and old, rich and poor, male and female. As a Nation, we must continue our efforts to offer the best possible opportunities, settings, and approaches to prevent and treat alcohol and drug addiction.”*

## 	President George W. Bush

***December 11, 2007***

*“**The drug trade has enriched our society's enemies. It has funded acts of terror. It feeds an addiction that causes some Americans to turn to crime .”*

## The Case for Buprenorphine

- The spread of HIV in the U.S. is fueled in part by the use of illicit drugs.
- Injection drug use is directly related to HIV transmission through the sharing of drug equipment
- The use of both injected and noninjected drugs impairs decision-making and increases sexual risk-taking behavior, which increases the risk for acquiring HIV.
- “Even though substance abuse treatment is crucial for staying in HIV care and adhering to a treatment regimen, it is in short supply. The introduction of buprenorphine...offers hope for improved access to treatment for addiction.”

- Source: Health Resources and Services Administration, *Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS In the United States*, June 2006, retrieved 2/15/08

## Race/Ethnicity for 2006 HIV IncidenceBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007,
-  retrieved 2/20/08

## Gender for 2006 HIV IncidenceBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007,
-  retrieved 2/20/08

## Risk for 2006 HIV IncidenceBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007, retrieved 2/20/08

- MSM= Men who had sex with men
- MSM/IDU = Men who had sex with men & were injection drug users

## Age at Diagnosis for 2006 HIV IncidenceBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007, retrieved 2/20/08

## HIV Case Exposure Category TrendsBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile,
-  June 30, 2006,  retrieved 2/20/08

- MSM= Men who had sex with men
- MSM/IDU = Men who had sex with men
- & were injection drug users

- NOTE: HIV case reporting began in 1994

- Proportions by Exposure Category of Incident (Newly diagnosed) Cases during each Calendar Year as Reported through 6/30/06

## AIDS Case Exposure Category TrendsBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland HIV/AIDS Epidemiological Profile, June 30, 2006,  retrieved 2/20/08

- MSM= Men who had sex with men
- MSM/IDU = Men who had sex with men & were injection drug users

- Proportions by Exposure Category of Incident (Newly diagnosed) Cases during each Calendar Year as Reported through 6/30/06

## Baltimore City HIV and AIDS Incidence

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007, retrieved 2/20/08

## Risk by Year of HIV DiagnosisBaltimore City

- Source: Maryland Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene, AIDS Administration, October 4, 2007, retrieved 2/20/08

- MSM= Men who had sex with men
- IDU = injection drug users

## Overdose Deaths in Baltimore County 1998-2002

- Source: Adapted by CESAR from data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), October 2001, February 2002, and February 2003. retrieved 2/20/08

## HIV/AIDS

- According to CDC data on U.S. adolescents and adults
- – in 2005:
- Approximately 20% of the reported new AIDS cases were related to injection drug use.
- 20% of males and 33% of females living with AIDS were exposed through injection drug use.
- Almost one-third (28.2%) of AIDS deaths were adolescents and adults infected through injection drugs.

- Source: Centers for Disease control and Prevention, *HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report*, Vol. 17, Revised Edition, June 2007, retrieved 2/15/08.

## 2008 Summit Goals

- To bring together experts in epidemiology, pharmacology, toxicology, and addiction treatment to _build upon the findings of the previous summits in 2003 and 2005 by_:
-   Assessing the successes, progress and continued 	barriers to access to opioid treatment with 	buprenorphine,
-   Identifying best practices and useful clinical supports 	to enhance the quality of treatment, and
-   Identifying and developing strategies to address 	emerging issues and concerns.

## Building upon the 
2005 Summit Findings

**Building upon the **
**2005 Summit Findings**

## April 2005 Summit Findings

- There is a critical need to expand the number of primary care physicians who are trained and certified to prescribe buprenorphine.
- Emerging challenge: many physicians who have not previously treated addiction require more than one-time buprenorphine training.
- Widespread support and mentoring strategies are needed.

## April 2005 Summit Findings

- There is a need for the government to overcome barriers to access to buprenorphine treatment, specifically:
- Limitations caused by the 30 patient restriction
- Inadequate funding by buprenorphine medication
- Insufficient physician interest in buprenorphine training
- A need for physician linkages to ancillary services, including psychiatric services.

## Increases in Patient Limits

- In July 2005, Congress removed the 30-patient restriction on medical groups that prescribe buprenorphine for opioid dependence & addiction.
- The 30-patient limit was then applied to each physician’s caseload, rather than to that of the entire clinic.
- Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 2006 (ONDCPRA) increased the number of buprenorphine patients a physician can treat to 100, if specific conditions are met.

## Improved Physician & Treatment Program Locator

_**The Physician & Treatment Program Locator**_ is an on-line resource designed to assist States, medical and addiction treatment communities, potential patients, and/or their families in finding information on locating physicians and treatment programs authorized to treat opioid addiction with buprenorphine.
- In response to physician requests, the locator was expanded to list multiple locations for physicians who have more than one practice location.
- Web site: _http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov/bwns_locator/dr_facilitylocatordoc.htm_

## Additional and Expanded Training Materials

_**Additional and expanded training materials**_ have been developed – many through the NIDA-SAMHSA “Blending Initiative.”
- The initiative is a unique partnership that uses the expertise of both agencies to quickly apply research results to practical use in improving the treatment of substance use disorders.
- Web site: _www.nida.nih.gov/blending_

## The Physician Clinical Support System

_**The Physician Clinical Support System (PCSS)**_ for Buprenorphine has been created in collaboration with the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM).
- Physicians who prescribe or dispense buprenorphine can contact the PCSS.
- The PCSS is a free, national service staffed by 45 trained physician mentors, a PCSS medical director and 5 physicians, who are national experts in the use of buprenorphine.
- Support is via telephone, email, and/or at the place of clinical practice.
- Web site: _www.PCSSmentor.org_

## Total Number of Patients that Filled a Prescription for Suboxone and Subutex in U.S. Retail Pharmacies, 2003-2007 

- Source: Verispan Total Patient Tracker, Extracted Feb. 2008

**Total Number of Patients that Filled a Prescription for Suboxone and Subutex in U.S. Retail Pharmacies, 2003-2007 **

## Prescribing Physicians’* Perceptions of BUP Effectiveness, 2005

- *Views of physicians who reported some experience treating for that length of time

- By Length of Treatment

*N*= 556

*N*= 557

*N*= 682

- Source Waivered Physician Survey, 10/31/05

## Challenges

**Challenges**

## Buprenorphine Treatment Issues

- Training within medical school and residence
- Use in pain management and addiction
- Managing patients with pain conditions and who are addicted to opioids
- Adverse events reported to emergency rooms and poison control centers
- Diversion
- New patient limits
- Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs
- National All Schedules Prescription Electronic Reporting (NASPER)

## Accidental Ingestion by Children

- The increased use of buprenorphine magnifies the risk to children in homes in which it is used.1
- Clinicians should remain vigilant for pediatric exposures.1
- Clinicians should _not_ assume that because Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone that pediatric patients are not at risk for opioid toxicity.2
- Patients receiving buprenorphine on an outpatient basis should be educated regarding steps they can take to ensure the drug is not accessible to any young children in their homes.1

- 1Geib, A; Babu, K; Ewald, M; Boyer, E; Adverse Effects in Children After Unintentional Buprenorphine Exposure, *Pediatrics*, October 2006, published online October 2, 2006, retrieved 2/15/08
- 2Schwarz, K, Cantrell, F, Vohra, R, Clark, R, Suboxone (Buprenorphine/Naloxone) Toxicity in Pediatric Patients: A Case Report, *Pediatric Emergency Care*, September 2007, retrieved 2/15/08

## ED Visits Involving Accidental Ingestion by Children

| Drugs  | 5 yrs & younger | 6-11 years |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buprenorphine  | 26 | 0 |
| Oxycodone/combination | 167 | 9 |
| Methadone  | 55 | 3 |
| Hydrocodone/combination | 252 | 12 |
| Fentanyl/combinations | 13 | 2 |
| Hydromorphone/combinations | 10 | 0 |

**ED Visits Involving Accidental Ingestion by Children**

- Source: SAMHSA DAWN Live!, 2004-2/15/08, accessed 2/15/08
- NOTE: Data is unweighted and  is from hospitals participating in DAWN, so is not representative of total hospitals in the U.S.

## National Drug Intelligence CenterIntelligence Bulletin-Buprenorphine: Potential for Abuse

- September 2004
- Suboxone can be diverted and abused
- More likely to be abused by individuals who are addicted to low doses of opiates since it can precipitate withdrawal symptoms in high doses.
- The naloxone in Suboxone guards against abuse by causing withdrawal symptoms in abusers who crush and either inject or snort the drug;
- however, law enforcement and pharmacist reporting indicates that Suboxone is being abused successfully when snorted.

## Subutex Abuse & Diversion

- Subutex, the form that does not contain naloxone, is more vulnerable to abuse because it can be crushed and injected or snorted without causing withdrawal symptoms in the abuser.
- Subutex has been prescribed legally for years in some foreign countries, where its diversion for illicit use is common.
- There are lucrative black markets for diverted Subutex in Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In France, India, and Scotland, where buprenorphine is far more common in opiate addiction therapy than methadone, many individuals are addicted to Subutex. Suboxone is not available in these countries.

- Source: NDIC Intelligence Bulletin: September 2004

## Abuse & Diversion of Buprenorphine: U.S.

- Despite controls designed to make buprenorphine diversion-proof, there have been reports of buprenorphine diversion throughout the United States, primarily in the Northeast region.
**  ****Chittenden County, Vermont**. A pharmacist in this 	area reports that Suboxone is being diverted and sold 	for $25 per 8-milligram tablet. Abusers are grinding 	the tablets and snorting them.

- Source: NDIC Intelligence Bulletin: September 2004

## Abuse & Diversion of Buprenorphine: U.S.

**Washington County, Maine**. The Washington County Sheriff's Office reports that buprenorphine is being diverted in that area and sold for $50 per tablet. The size of the tablet is unknown, and it is unclear whether Subutex or Suboxone tablets are being diverted in this case.
**Pennsylvania**. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports that diverted Subutex and Suboxone are being illegally distributed on the street. Specific locations have not been identified.

- Source: NDIC Intelligence Bulletin: September 2004

## Buprenorphine Patient Reports of Diversion, 2005

*n*=411

- “Compared to **OxyContin**® or **methadone**, how easy or hard do you think it is to buy or sell BUP on the street?”

- Responses were similar at baseline  and 6 month followup.

- Source: SAMHSA Patient Longitudinal Study, November 2005

**Percent of Patient Sample**

## Buprenorphine Patient Outcomes: Acquisition of Drugs on the Street

- Source: SAMHSA Patient Longitudinal Study, November 2005

**Mean Days in Last 30**

*n*=379

## Buprenorphine Patient Outcomes: Percent of Patients Acquiring Drugs on the Street

- Source: SAMHSA Patient Longitudinal Study. November 2005

**Percent of Patient Sample**

*n*=379

## Buprenorphine Patient Outcomes: Specific Criminal Activities

*n*=379

- Source: SAMHSA Patient Longitudinal Study, November 2005

**Percent of Patient Sample**

## Surveillance Report Conducted by CRS Associates LLC 

- Monitoring of discussions within Internet newsgroups and interviews found that the buprenorphine products are viewed primarily as medications to avoid or ease withdrawal symptoms rather than means of getting high.
- There is evidence that there is experimental use and illegal diversion of buprenorphine...However, the extent of abuse and diversion does not come close to approaching that of methadone or OxyContin.
- Intravenous drug use of either Suboxone or Subutex appears to be rare, but it is evident from street interviews.

- Source: *Surveillance Report*, July 1 thru September 30, 2007, CRS Associates LLC.

## Potential for Buprenorphine Abuse

- Source: *Diversion and Abuse of Buprenorphine: A Brief Assessment of Emerging Indicators*, Final Report conducted by JBS International for SAMHSA, November 2006

- Most common pattern of abuse involves crushing the sublingual tablets & injecting the resulting extract.
- When injected intravenously, addicts claim buprenorphine effects are similar to equipotent doses of morphine or heroin.
- Indications are that buprenorphine obtained for non-medical purposes in the U.S. is diverted from prescriptions written for treatment of addiction or obtained through “doctor shopping.”

## Potential for Buprenorphine Abuse

- More than one-third of buprenorphine abusers reported that they took the drug in an effort to self-medicate and ease heroin withdrawal.1
- A majority of buprenorphine abusers are young white males with extensive histories of substance abuse.1
- When asked in a NASADAD study, **33%** of physicians considered _Subutex_ to be a significant abuse and/or diversion threat in their states.2
- In the same study, only **6%** of physicians considered _Suboxone_ to pose a significant abuse threat, and only  **8%** considered it to be a significant diversion threat in their states.2

- 1 Cicero, T & Inciardi, J, Potential for Abuse of Buprenorphine in Office-Based Treatment of Opioid Dependence, *The New England Journal of Medicine*, October 2005
- 2 States’ Perspectives on Buprenorphine and office Based Medication Assisted Opioid Dependency Treatment, NASADAD study prepared for CSAT, June 2004.

## Buprenorphine, Health Disparities and Diversion

- Lack of access to physician services may be contributing to the diversion and abuse of buprenorphine
- Financial barriers keep some patients from being able to get their own prescription from a physician
- Limited number of prescribers may also be a factor.
- Patients selling their buprenorphine to others dependent on opioids may not hesitate to sell their drugs to non-opioid dependent users.

## Monitoring Diversion

- Because of its ceiling effect and ability to precipitate withdrawal symptoms if taken in high doses, buprenorphine is more susceptible to abuse by individuals who are addicted to low doses of opiates or individuals in the early stages of opiate addiction.
- The drug also can be abused in combination with methadone, making buprenorphine diversion more problematic in areas where heroin abuse and methadone therapy are common, such as the Northeast region.
- As buprenorphine therapy becomes more widespread, the potential for increased diversion of Subutex and Suboxone should be closely monitored.

- Source: NDIC Intelligence Bulletin: September 2004

## Patient Physician Visit Reports: First 30 Days of Buprenorphine Treatment

*n*=347

**Percent of Patient Sample**

- Source: *Evaluation of the Buprenorphine Waiver Program, conducted by SAMHSA/CSAT from 2002-2005*

## Patient Report of Counseling Sessions: First 30 Days of Buprenorphine Treatment

**Percent of Patient Sample**

*n*=347

- Source: *Evaluation of the Buprenorphine Waiver Program, conducted by SAMHSA/CSAT from 2002-2005*

## Emergency Department Visits - 2006

- In 2006, of 346,946 reported Emergency Department visits, 47,538 involved opioid analgesics – _only 356 of which involved buprenorphine or a combination of buprenorphine and other medications._
- Of those involving buprenorphine:
- 52 were due to adverse reactions
- 63 were seeking detox
- 225 were due to nonmedical use
- 11 were due to accidental ingestion

- Source:  DAWN *Live*!, Unweighted reports from 292 to 304 EDs.  Accessed 10/2/2007.

## Opioid Analgesics in Drug-related ED Visits 2006

- Of the 47,538 opioid analgesics reported in drug-related ED visits,  358 were buprenorphine (all case types)

- Source:  DAWN *Live*!, Unweighted reports from 292 to 304 EDs.  Accessed 10/2/2007.

- *Includes single and multi-ingredient product

## Opiate Reports in Emergency Department Visits Related to Drug Misuse/Abuse

**Opiate Reports in Emergency Department Visits Related to Drug Misuse/Abuse**

**Unweighted reports from 243-445 U.S. hospitals**

- Source: U.S. SAMHSA; DAWN *Live!* Oct 2, 2007

**Buprenorphine***

## Workgroup Goals

**Workgroup Goals**

## Workgroups

- Work Group 1: Improving Data collection and Dissemination
- Work Group 2: Emerging Clinical Issues
- Work Group 3: Special Population Needs
- Work Group 4: Evolving Educational Strategies
- Work Group 5: Developing System Supports
- Work Group 6: Identifying Research Needs

## SAMHSA/CSAT Information

- _www.samhsa.gov_
- Information web site: _www.buprenorphine.samhsa.gov_
- SHIN 1-800-729-6686 for publication ordering or information on funding opportunities
- 1-800-487-4889 – TDD line
- 1-800-662-HELP – SAMHSA’s National Helpline (average # of tx calls per mo.- 24,000)