Skip to main content
release_alert
Welcome to the new Scholars 3.0! Read about new features and let us know what you think.
cancel
Journal cover image

Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wu, L-T; John, WS; Morse, ED; Adkins, S; Pippin, J; Brooner, RK; Schwartz, RP
Published in: Addiction
February 2022

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pharmacy administration and dispensing of methadone for methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) can expand treatment access for opioid use disorder (OUD). This study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of a novel model permitting an opioid treatment program (OTP) physician to prescribe methadone for OUD treatment through collaboration with a partnered pharmacy. DESIGN: Non-randomized, single-arm, open-label feasibility trial. SETTING: One OTP and one community pharmacy in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: One OTP physician, two pharmacists and 20 MMT patients receiving between six and 13 take-home methadone doses at 5-160 mg/day. INTERVENTION: Patients' methadone administration and dispensing of take-home doses was transferred from the OTP to the pharmacy for 3 months. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was medication adherence. Secondary outcomes were recruitment, treatment retention, substance use, counseling attendance at the OTP, pharmacist prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) use, safety and satisfaction. FINDINGS: Of 29 patients eligible at pre-screen, 20 patients (69%) enrolled into the study. Recruitment occurred from 6 August 2020 to 10 October 2020. Treatment retention rate at month 3 was 80% (16 of 20). Two participants returned early to the OTP because of a work/schedule change, one due to pregnancy and one following a non-study-related hospitalization. Medication adherence among 16 patients who were retained was 100%. Intervention fidelity was 100%. All participants attended random call-back visits. None showed evidence of tampering/diversion of methadone. Pharmacists checked the PDMP at all visits. All participants attended psychosocial counseling as planned. There were no positive urine screens for illicit opioid use and no study-related adverse events. All participants endorsed 'pharmacy is the right location for receiving methadone for MMT', 88% endorsed 'convenient or very convenient to receive methadone at the pharmacy' and 88% were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of treatment offered. CONCLUSIONS: This feasibility trial has found pharmacy administration and dispensing of physician-prescribed methadone for methadone maintenance treatment to be feasible and acceptable.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Addiction

DOI

EISSN

1360-0443

Publication Date

February 2022

Volume

117

Issue

2

Start / End Page

444 / 456

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance Abuse
  • Pharmacy
  • Pharmacies
  • Opioid-Related Disorders
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment
  • Methadone
  • Humans
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Wu, L.-T., John, W. S., Morse, E. D., Adkins, S., Pippin, J., Brooner, R. K., & Schwartz, R. P. (2022). Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial. Addiction, 117(2), 444–456. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15641
Wu, Li-Tzy, William S. John, Eric D. Morse, Steve Adkins, Jennifer Pippin, Robert K. Brooner, and Robert P. Schwartz. “Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial.Addiction 117, no. 2 (February 2022): 444–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.15641.
Wu L-T, John WS, Morse ED, Adkins S, Pippin J, Brooner RK, et al. Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial. Addiction. 2022 Feb;117(2):444–56.
Wu, Li-Tzy, et al. “Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial.Addiction, vol. 117, no. 2, Feb. 2022, pp. 444–56. Pubmed, doi:10.1111/add.15641.
Wu L-T, John WS, Morse ED, Adkins S, Pippin J, Brooner RK, Schwartz RP. Opioid treatment program and community pharmacy collaboration for methadone maintenance treatment: results from a feasibility clinical trial. Addiction. 2022 Feb;117(2):444–456.
Journal cover image

Published In

Addiction

DOI

EISSN

1360-0443

Publication Date

February 2022

Volume

117

Issue

2

Start / End Page

444 / 456

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Substance Abuse
  • Pharmacy
  • Pharmacies
  • Opioid-Related Disorders
  • Opiate Substitution Treatment
  • Methadone
  • Humans
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Analgesics, Opioid
  • 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences