Implant Offers New Breakthrough rehabilitation for Heroin Addiction

Probuphine is an implant that provides continuous dosing of the medication buprenorphine for the treatment of addiction to heroin or other opiates.

Buprenorphine prevents withdrawal, limits cravings and blocks the effects of opiates like heroin and OxyContin. This means that patients do not have to touch painful resignation or detox to begin recovery from opiate dependence. Patients are less likely to touch unmanageable drug cravings. And patients who use opiates while taking buprenorphine are less likely to feel the reinforcing effects of the opiate high.

Medicine For Addiction

Existing oral formulations of buprenorphine, such as Suboxone and Subutex, are effective for many patients. But many struggle to take the oral medication as prescribed. This is especially true of those in early treatment who are not yet garage in their recovery. Oral formulations of buprenorphine have a street value. This means that medication is often lost, stolen or sold, limiting treatment effectiveness.

Probuphine is a breakthrough new treatment in that implants last six months, and treatment compliance is largely automatic.

Probuphine was developed by Titan Pharmaceuticals using their ProNeura continuous drug delivery system. Probuphine is a small, solid rod that is placed under the skin by a doctor in a straightforward office procedure. One or more rods may be implanted depending on the dosing needs of the patient. The rods are ordinarily placed under the skin of the upper arm. The implant is later removed by a doctor.

Probuphine has not yet been popular ,favorite for use in the United States, but clinical trials of the treatment are underway in the U.S. With funding maintain from the National Institutes of Health.

Implant Offers New Breakthrough rehabilitation for Heroin Addiction