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Article: Physicians sluggish to treat with buprenorphine.(Mental Health)
- Article from:
- Family Practice News
- Article date:
- January 15, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 International Medical News Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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WASHINGTON -- Buprenorphine was approved for the treatment of opioid dependence in 2002, but many physicians are hesitant to prescribe it despite being licensed to do so.
Of more than 2.5 million opiate addiction patients in the United States, only 200,000, or 8%, are receiving opiate agonist treatment with methadone or buprenorphine, David Fiellin, M.D., reported at the annual conference of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse.
"There is clearly a need to evaluate the provision of treatment in alternative settings, such as physician offices," said Dr. Fiellin of the department of internal medicine at Yale University, ...