Opioid Use Disorder

The FDA has approved label changes for once-monthly Sublocade, helping to reduce possible barriers to treatment initiation for opioid use disorder and speed up availability of treatment, according to a press release from the manufacturer.

Although the prevalence of substance use disorder increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the receipt of treatment declined before rebounding, according to a research letter published in JAMA Network Open.

Candidate genetic variants included in a genetic risk algorithm may not meet standards of reasonable clinical efficacy in identifying opioid use disorder risk, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

An online-based mindfulness treatment program significantly reduced opioid craving among participants with opioid use disorder results from a randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open showed.

Low-dose initiation of buprenorphine in an outpatient setting showed low rates of success among a cohort of adults with opioid use disorder who self-reported daily fentanyl use, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

The volume of those who received medications for opioid use disorder at federally qualified health centers more than doubled over a recent 6-year span, results from a cross-sectional study showed.

Psilocybin-assisted therapy induced positive personality changes in adults with alcohol use disorder, which may help to improve long-term outcomes by limiting traits that encourage relapse such as impulsiveness, according to study results.

Congress recently extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities that waive a requirement for an in-person visit before a patient can receive mental health services via telehealth.

Two major policy updates were published in 2024 regarding opioids and children.

Although key steps have been taken to improve access to naloxone for the acute treatment of opioid overdose, more work is needed to overcome the stigma associated with the root cause — substance use disorder.