Methadone reduces the risk of HIV transmission

http://chumontreal.qc.ca/salle-de-presse/medias/communiques/methadone-reduces-risk-hiv-transmission

05 Octobre 2012

Methadone reduces the risk of HIV transmission in people who inject drugs (PWID), as reported by an international team of researchers in a paper published today in the online edition of the British Medical Journal (bmj.com). This team included Dr. Julie Bruneau from the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) and the Department of Family Medicine at the Université de Montréal.

“There is good evidence to suggest that opiate substitution therapies (OST) reduce drug-related mortality, morbidity and some of the injection risk behaviors among PWID. However, to date there has been no quantitative estimate of the effect of OST in relation to HIV transmission. This new study provides solid evidence demonstrating the link between these treatments and a reduced risk of HIV transmission,” notes Dr. Bruneau, one of the six investigators who worked with Dr. Matthew Hickman, the study’s principal investigator and Professor in Public Health and Epidemiology at the University of Bristol (UK).

“These results are important given that increases in HIV incidence have been reported among PWID in a number of countries in recent years, where opiate substitution therapies are illegal or severely restricted,” adds Dr. Bruneau.

Injection drug use is a major risk factor for the transmission of HIV and AIDS. It is estimated that around 5-10% of HIV infections worldwide are due to injection drug use. Methadone and buprenorphine are the main forms of drug prescribed for addicts and are frequently prescribed as opiate substitution therapies.