Interim Buprenorphine: Leveraging Medication + Technology to Bridge Delays in Treatment Access

Summary

Despite the undisputed effectiveness of agonist maintenance for treating opioid dependence, current capacity is inadequate to meet need in the U.S. and internationally. Indeed, an alarming number of clinics have extensive waitlists for treatment slots. Patients can remain on these waitlists for years, placing them at elevated risk for illicit drug use, criminal activity, infectious disease, overdose and mortality during this period. These delays in treatment access represent a significant barrier to the widespread delivery of effective opioid treatment, and there is a critical need to develop creative new approaches for mitigating these delays. Our overarching goal in this application is to develop a novel Interim Buprenorphine Treatment (IBT) that can bridge delays in treatment access. Our integrative treatment package includes five key components, each strategically chosen to maximize patient access to pharmacotherapy for opioid dependence while minimizing nonadherence, abuse and diversion: Buprenorphine, Computerized adherence monitoring, mHealth clinical support delivered via Interactive Voice Response, Automated random call-backs for urinalysis and adherence monitoring, and HIV+Hepatitis Education delivered via iPad. The Primary Aim of this Stage I Behavioral and Integrative Treatment Development application is to evaluate the feasibility and initial efficacy of IBT in a 12-week randomized trial in which 70 opioid-dependent adults wait-listed for agonist maintenance are randomized to receive IBT (n=35) or continue in a Waitlist Control condition (WLC; n=35). WLC participants who have not entered treatment by Week 12 will be offered the opportunity to cross over to IBT at that time, contributing additional within-subject data with which to evaluate the efficacy of the IBT intervention. The proposed research is innovative in several important ways: By facilitating the eradication of waitlists for opioid treatment, it represents a significant departure from the status quo and stands to produce a fundamental shift in how treatment of opioid dependence is conceptualized and delivered. The IBT components are highly novel, both individually and as an integrative interim treatment package for opioid dependence. This study will be the first to investigate the utility of IBT in the patients and settings that stand to benefit most from it. The investigators also propose a multi-pronged dissemination approach that will ensure that our work is readily transported to clinical practice and will have a direct impact on real-world treatment of opioid dependence. Taken together, the proposed project will produce a highly innovative technology-assisted pharmacotherapy protocol that can be widely disseminated to increase access to life-saving opioid treatment. The overarching and specific aims of this proposal are directly relevant to NIDA's mission of improving the accessibility, implementation and effectiveness of drug abuse treatment.

Conditions

• Opioid-related Disorders

Interventions

DRUG

Interim Buprenorphine Treatment (IBT)

The Interim Buprenorphine Treatment (IBT) includes: 1. Buprenorphine (BUP) 2. Computerized adherence monitoring (CAM): BUP will be dispensed via a portable device that makes each day's dose available only at a predetermined time. 3. Mobile health clinical support: An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system to deliver clinical support 4. Urinalysis and adherence monitoring with participants contacted via IVR for random call-backs 5. HIV+Hepatitis Education delivered via iPad

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Vermont Medical Center

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2015-01-31

Primary Completion

2016-06-30

Completion

2016-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations