UC study examines treatment for opioid use disorder

“The growing opioid use epidemic in the U.S. has been associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of pregnant women with opioid use disorder and of infants experiencing opioid withdrawal syndrome after birth, a condition associated with adverse health effects for the infant,” says Theresa Winhusen, PhD, the Donald C. Harrison Endowed Chair in Medicine and vice chair for addiction sciences in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at the University of Cincinnati.

“The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society of Addiction Medicine recommend that pregnant women with opioid use disorder be treated with medication including buprenorphine, which is used to treat this disorder and can be administered in a number of ways, but in this case is delivered under the tongue,” she said.

Winhusen, who is also director of the UC Center for Addiction Research, says that while this form of medication delivery can be beneficial, there are disadvantages including daily self-administration by the patient and a period of time each day when the dose within the patient’s system may be too low.

“This extended-release formulation will be injected under the skin by a medical provider, and it releases buprenorphine steadily for an extended period of time,” she adds. “By comparing this formulation with the current formulation, this study has the potential to expand available treatment options for pregnant women struggling with opioid use disorder.”