A new review published in Substance Use & Addiction Journal, the official journal of the Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance Use and Addiction (AMERSA), examines how eight countries regulate access to methadone and buprenorphine, the most effective medications for opioid use disorder.
In “Expanding Access to Buprenorphine and Methadone: Global Perspectives and Policy Recommendations,” Yale authors Julio Nunes, MD; Gabriel P.A. Costa, MD; and Joao De Aquino, MD, and colleagues show that nations integrating these treatments into routine primary care and reducing regulatory barriers achieve higher treatment coverage and markedly lower overdose mortality. By contrast, restrictive or prohibition-based policies are associated with preventable deaths and poorer public health outcomes.
The authors highlight international models, including France, Portugal, Iran, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, as evidence that flexible dispensing, community pharmacy models, and lower-risk scheduling can safely expand access.
A U.S.-focused modeling analysis suggests that modernizing federal policy could save tens of thousands of lives annually while generating substantial economic and societal benefits.