Press Releases


	News Release

	Date:	December 10, 2002
	Media Contact:	SAMHSA Media
	Phone:	301-443-8956



	SAMHSA Outlines How to Treat Addiction to Prescription Painkillers and Heroin in Physicians' Offices

	The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today launched a new professional and public education initiative to raise awareness about a new medication, buprenorphine, that can be used to treat addiction to opioids, such as prescription painkillers and heroin. Unlike other medications available to treat addiction, buprenorphine can be prescribed by physicians in their own offices. The "New Paths to Recovery" educational materials will also inform doctors of the credentials necessary to administer the therapy from their offices. "The application of buprenorphine treatment therapies will result in improved and expanded assistance for those who have been trapped by opiate dependence," said John P. Walters, Director, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Medical doctors now have one more important tool to heal those addicted to drugs. We look forward to working with the medical community to help reduce the demand for drugs at various stages of the dependence continuum." "The availability of buprenorphine heralds a new day in the treatment of addiction," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie. "With this new medication, qualified physicians will, for the first time, be able to prescribe an anti-addiction medication to their patients in their office. This major advancement in substance abuse treatment will expand availability of addiction services and permit doctors to treat heroin and other opioid addiction just like any other medical condition, such as diabetes or hypertension." Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat addiction to heroin or other opioids, including prescription painkillers, buprenorphine blocks the craving for the drugs. This new medication will not replace methadone therapy, provided through special methadone treatment facilities, but will provide physicians the opportunity to treat patients in their offices. The Drug Abuse Treatment Act of 2000 permits qualified physicians to provide this medication in an office setting. The law also requires physicians to have the ability to refer patients to full-spectrum care for their social and psychological needs. Asa Hutchinson, Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said: "The DEA is pleased to join our partners in the medical community to help restore the lives of those struggling with a drug addiction, while also ensuring the integrity of our medical system." In order to prescribe buprenorphine, physicians must obtain a waiver from provisions of the federal Controlled Substances Act and complete the minimum eight hours of training mandated by Congress. SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has taken the lead in educating and training physicians. So far, more than 2,000 physicians have completed buprenorphine training, and more than 300 physicians, representing 48 states and Puerto Rico, have received the necessary waivers. "I am heartened by the interest that primary care physicians have shown in this new medication," said CSAT Director H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H. "Internal medicine specialists, family physicians, and others can and should be key players in identifying and helping individuals with substance abuse. Buprenorphine is a valuable addition to the options the medical community can offer to heroin addicts and individuals who abuse pain medication," Dr. Clark said. Frank Vocci, Ph.D., Director of the Division of Treatment Research and Development at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said that "In the development of the medications SUBUTEX and SUBOXONE, NIDA sponsored studies in various types of treatment settings. By progressing from research clinics to physicians in office practices, NIDA and its investigators were instrumental in leading to the shift in the treatment modality about to occur. The additional treatment settings will now allow more patients to receive treatment." Data from SAMHSA's 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse indicate that there are approximately 2 million people who used prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes for the first time in 2000. At the same time, 6.4 million people reported in 2001 that they had used prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes in the past year. The "New Paths to Recovery" educational materials are being introduced today in Washington, D.C., and then community education forums will be held in: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, New Orleans, New York/Newark, N.J., Portland, OR, Salt=" " Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Wilmington, DE/Philadelphia, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The events will also highlight upcoming physician training sessions where physicians can become familiar with office-based buprenorphine treatment. In addition, training and information is available online at http://buprenorphine.samhsa.gov, and SAMHSA has established a Buprenorphine Information Center, which can be reached toll-free at 866-BUP-CSAT weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, or via e-mail at info@buprenorphine.samhsa.gov.

	The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States. Information on SAMHSA's programs is available on this website, www.samhsa.gov.