Based on its unique pharmacological profile, buprenorphine may produce less impairment in psychomotor and cognitive performance than methadone. However, the few studies that have investigated the performance effects of buprenorphine in opioid-abusing volunteers examined effects of single acute doses rather than effects of repeated dosing and included a very limited range of measures. The presen...

Introduction: Deaths related to buprenorphine are rarely discovered in Italy. This paper describes a case report regarding a young marine that was found dead, in an advanced state of decomposition, in which buprenorphine/nor-buprenorphine (BUP/norBUP) are identified and quantified by GC/MS. Material and methods: BUP/norBUP were extracted from hair and from putrefied samples after acid hydrolysi...

Buprenorphine is recommended for use as an analgesic in animal models including in murine models of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). However, the effect of buprenorphine on the expression of disease-associated biomarkers is not well defined. We examined the effect of buprenorphine administration on disease progression and the expression of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, in a murine...

BACKGROUND Untreated opioid dependence in pregnant women is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Buprenorphine and methadone are options for opioid agonist medication-assisted treatment during pregnancy. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to describe adverse birth outcomes observed with buprenorphine or methadone treatment compared to the general population in Sweden. METHODS Pregnant w...

Constant refinement of opioid dependence (OD) therapies is a condition to promote treatment access and delivery. Among other applications, the partial opioid agonist buprenorphine has been studied to improve evidence-based interventions for the transfer of patients from opioid agonist to antagonist medications. This paper summarizes PubMed-searched clinical investigations and conference papers ...

AIMS Two tablet formulations of buprenorphine (a buprenorphine mono-product, Subutex, and a buprenorphine/naloxone combination product, Suboxone) are available for use in the treatment of opioid addiction; however, the bulk of the clinical studies supporting its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were conducted with a sublingual liquid preparation. To assist the clinician in ...

New effective analgesics are needed for the treatment of pain. Buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid agonist which has been in clinical use for over 25 years, has been found to be amenable to new formulation technology based on its physiochemical and pharmacological profile. Buprenorphine is marketed as parenteral, sublingual, and transdermal formulations. Unlike full mu-opioid agonists, at higher...

BACKGROUND Buprenorphine is a partial mu receptor agonist used in opiate detoxification. It has been shown to cause delayed gastric emptying in healthy volunteers. CASE DESCRIPTION We describe a case of clinically severe gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying due to impaired contraction of the stomach) whose onset coincided with the commencement of buprenorphine-assisted detoxification. CO...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Few randomized controlled trials have evaluated buprenorphine treatment interventions for opioid-dependent youth. Consequently, optimal administration strategies for this cohort are unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the relative efficacy of two different buprenorphine taper lengths in promoting abstinence from illicit opioids and treatment retention among opioid-dependent you...

BACKGROUND The extent of damage in New York City following Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 was unprecedented. Bellevue Hospital Center (BHC), a tertiary public hospital, was evacuated and temporarily closed as a result of hurricane-related damages. BHC's large primary care office-based buprenorphine clinic was relocated to an affiliate public hospital for three weeks. The extent of environmenta...