<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Using buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) may increase adherence to treatments for other chronic conditions, according to a study published in the September issue of Medical Care<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Hsien-Yen Chang, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues used Truven Health’s MarketScan data to identify 12,719 commercially insured individuals with a diagnosis of OUD and buprenorphine initiation between January 2011 and June 2015. The authors assessed the effect of buprenorphine treatment on patient adherence to five therapeutic classes: antilipids, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, antidiabetics, and antidepressants.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that across the five therapeutic classes, the probability a given treatment was on hand was always higher on days when buprenorphine was on hand. Buprenorphine was associated with a greater odds of adherence to antilipids (odds ratio [OR], 1.27), antiepileptics (OR, 1.22), and antidepressants (OR, 1.42) when adjusting for demographics, morbidity, and baseline adherence.<\/p>\n
“Using buprenorphine to treat OUD may increase adherence to treatments for chronic unrelated conditions, a finding of particular importance given high rates of mental illness and other comorbidities among many individuals with OUD,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
One author disclosed financial ties to health information technology companies.<\/p>\n