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Buprenorphine injection in Melbourne, Australia--an update
Campbell K Aitken1, Peter G Higgs, Margaret E Hellard
1Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Drug and Alcohol Review
|February 12, 2008
Summary
Buprenorphine injection is common among some injecting drug users in Victoria, Australia, and carries significant health risks. Providing injectable pharmacotherapy could be a harm reduction strategy.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Addiction Medicine
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- Buprenorphine is a medication used to treat opioid dependence.
- Diversion and non-prescribed injection of buprenorphine present potential health risks.
- Understanding the prevalence and associated factors of buprenorphine injection is crucial for harm reduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of buprenorphine injection in a cohort of injecting drug users.
- To identify factors associated with buprenorphine injection, including demographics, prescription status, and risk behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study.
- Recruitment of current injecting drug users in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia.
- Data collection on drug injection practices, pharmacotherapy, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) exposure.
Main Results:
- Over 10% of participants reported buprenorphine as their most frequently injected drug; 32% had injected it in the past 3 months.
- Buprenorphine injection was associated with recruitment site and being prescribed buprenorphine for opioid dependence.
- Sharing used needles was linked to buprenorphine injection, but hepatitis C virus exposure was not.
Conclusions:
- Buprenorphine injection is established in certain injecting drug user populations in Victoria.
- Health risks include potential microbiological contamination from diverted buprenorphine.
- Alternative harm reduction strategies, such as injectable pharmacotherapy, should be considered.
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