TY - JOUR T1 - Treating Opioid Addiction With Buprenorphine-Naloxone in Community-Based Primary Care Settings JF - The Annals of Family Medicine JO - Ann Fam Med SP - 146 LP - 150 DO - 10.1370/afm.665 VL - 5 IS - 2 AU - Ira L. Mintzer AU - Mark Eisenberg AU - Maria Terra AU - Casey MacVane AU - David U. Himmelstein AU - Steffie Woolhandler Y1 - 2007/03/01 UR - http://www.annfammed.org/content/5/2/146.abstract N2 - PURPOSE Office-based treatment of opioid addiction with a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone was approved in 2002. Efficacy of this treatment in nonresearch clinical settings has not been studied. We examined the efficacy and practicality of buprenorphine-naloxone treatment in primary care settings. METHODS We studied a cohort of 99 consecutive patients enrolled in buprenor-phine-naloxone treatment for opioid dependence at 2 urban primary care practices: a hospital-based primary care clinic, and a primary care practice in a free-standing neighborhood health center. The primary outcome measure was sobriety at 6 months as judged by the treating physician based on periodic urine drug tests, as well as frequent physical examinations and questioning of the patients about substance use. RESULTS Fifty-four percent of patients were sober at 6 months. There was no significant correlation between sobriety and site of care, drug of choice, neighborhood poverty level, or dose of buprenorphine-naloxone. Sobriety was correlated with private insurance status, older age, length of treatment, and attending self-help meetings. CONCLUSIONS Opioid-addicted patients can be safely and effectively treated in nonresearch primary care settings with limited on-site resources. Our findings suggest that greater numbers of patients should have access to buprenorphine-naloxone treatment in nonspecialized settings. ER -