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Article: Newly OK'd drug adds alternative to methadone.(Health)
- Article from:
- The Register Guard (Eugene, OR)
- Article date:
- February 10, 2003
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Register Guard. 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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Byline: The Health Files by Tim Christie The Register-Guard
FOR 30 YEARS, methadone has been the treatment of choice for heroin addicts trying to kick the habit.
Now a new drug is available that won't replace methadone but may encourage more drug abusers to seek treatment for their addiction to heroin and other opiates.
Buprenorphine, prescribed under the brand names Subutex and Suboxone, has been used in Europe for years to treat heroin addiction. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it for use in the United States last fall, and doctors began prescribing it late last month.
While buprenorphine isn't a replacement for ...