A panel of health experts on Tuesday has recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should approve an implant designed to reduce cravings for heroin and prescription painkillers.
The implant called probuphine offers a new way of treating opioid addicts as it provides a steady dose of buprenorphine. In controlled doses, buprenorphine, one of the most common medical treatments used to treat opioid addicts, eases withdrawal symptoms, reduces cravings and lowers risk of relapse.
The medication, which is currently only available as a pill or dissolvable film placed under the tongue, however, also comes with risks as it is in itself also addictive. Because the medicine can be taken only by mouth, patients who are already ill from addiction need to manage their daily doses.
Some buprenorphine users also illegally sell their medications so they can have money to buy other drugs. There is also the risk that the drug can fall into the hands of children. Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, the implant's manufacturer, said that the implant can help eliminate these dangers.
Probuphine consists of four small rods about the size of a matchstick that is implanted into the arm. It delivers daily doses of buprenorphine for six months.
The dosage can be personalized for patients to counteract their cravings. Addiction specialist Michael Frost, who helped test the implant in clinical trials, said the implant can help improve patient's adherence to medication.
Doctors who were involved in the implant's six-month phase 3 clinical trial, which involved 178 patients and saw 88 percent of the participants not using illicit opioids during the trial period, said that keeping people from using drugs is a crucial part of long term recovery.
They said the implant can help some patients avoid drugs, albeit it is not by itself the solution to their addiction.
"More long-term treatments are needed to help people stay in recovery, and we remain excited about the potential for Probuphine to be the first of many new options for people with opioid addiction," said Braeburn Pharmaceuticals President Behshad Sheldon.
The FDA does not have to follow the recommendation of the panel. It is set to announce its decision on Feb. 27.
