Organizations such as Sheppard Pratt Health System can now treat more than three times as many heroin addicts with the highly effective drug buprenorphine, thanks to a move by Congress to amend the Controlled SubstancesAct.
The changes, approved Dec. 8, raise from 30 to 100 the number of patients a clinic or hospital can treat with the drug.
That is a boon to drug abuse counselors and to addicts in the Baltimore region, said addictions educator Michael Gimbel, of Sheppard Pratt. “This is a very important piece of legislation. It will immediately allow us to treat more heroin and opiate addicts. Buprenorphine seems to be a very effective alternative to methadone in treating addicts.”
The drug is the only controlled medication doctors may prescribe in private practices with certification. However the law still has flaws, Sheppard Pratt spokeswoman Bonnie Katz said. The entire Sheppard Pratt system can only treat 100 patients with the drug, she said, which is a deterrent to spending the money to train and certify additional doctors.
