Vivitrol, Used to Fight Opioid Misuse, Has a Major Overdose Problem

September 13, 2023

(Scientific American) – About 100,000 Americans die each year from overdoses, primarily caused by opioids like illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Fortunately, we have two treatments for opioid use disorder proven in multiple studies to reduce the death rate by 50 percent or more. These are methadone and buprenorphine. This data should make these drugs the gold standard for treatment. But a third medication—often promoted based on a pivotal trial that we now know missed some key overdose data—also vies for that position.

Vivitrol, a monthly injection of long-acting naltrexone, is the opioid treatment preferred by the criminal prosecution system, including jails, prisons, probation officers and drug courts. (Read More)