Buprenorphine and addiction: challenges for the pharmacist.

OBJECTIVE: To present an analysis of the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA) and its impact on the practice of pharmacy.

DATA SOURCES: Statutes, codes, regulations, newspaper articles, journal articles; search of articles posted on MEDLINE identified using the search terms methadone, buprenorphine, treatment, opioid abuse, and opioid addiction.

STUDY SELECTION: Not applicable.

DATA EXTRACTION: Not applicable.

DATA SYNTHESIS: DATA and Food and Drug Administration approval of sublingual tablets of buprenorphine and buprenorphine with naloxone (Reckitt and Benckiser) will dramatically expand opioid addicts' access to treatment and increase the number of opioid addicts receiving prescriptions for buprenorphine and buprenorphine with naloxone. The availability of buprenorphine will pose unique challenges to pharmacists and suggests the need for education on addiction and greater awareness of the unique needs of patients recovering from addiction.

CONCLUSION: The stage is being set to expand access to treatment and reach more untreated opioid addicts in the United States. Professional organizations such as the American Pharmaceutical Association should work with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop training materials, curricula, and guidelines for pharmacists on substance abuse with a special focus on outpatient opioid treatment. Such materials could be used in continuing education programs and materials and in pharmacy schools.