Buprenorphine replacement therapy: a confirmed benefit

(1) Three years after high-dose buprenorphine preparations were first marketed in France, we examine their use as replacement therapy for heroin addiction. (2) Various surveys of community pharmacists have shown that the prescribing and dispensing conditions are feasible in the routine ambulatory setting. However, teamwork between physicians and pharmacists is rarely optimal, and fractionated dispensing is under-used. This could lead to abuse by a minority of patients. (3) During ambulatory management, at a mean dose of 8 mg/day sublingually, long-term buprenorphine therapy seems to yield a reduction in drug consumption by most patients, and can help with social reintegration. (4) The risks of buprenorphine treatment are mainly linked to abuse (massive doses, intravenous injection). Fatalities have occurred after high doses of buprenorphine combined with benzodiazepines, especially when taken intravenously. (5) The limited data on buprenorphine intake during pregnancy are reassuring.