The globalization of addiction research: capacity-building mechanisms and selected examples.

Over the past decade, the amount and variety of addiction research around the world has increased substantially. Researchers in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States, and western Europe have significantly contributed to knowledge about addiction and its treatment. However, the nature and context of substance use disorders and the populations using drugs are far more diverse than is reflected in studies done in Western cultures. To stimulate new research from a diverse set of cultural perspectives, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has promoted the development of addiction research capacity and skills around the world for over 25 years. This review will describe the programs NIDA has developed to sponsor international research and research fellows and will provide some examples of the work NIDA has supported. NIDA fellowships have allowed 496 individuals from 96 countries to be trained in addiction research. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have recently developed funding to support addiction research to study, with advice from NIDA, the substance use disorder problems that affect their societies. Examples from Malaysia, Tanzania, Brazil, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Republic of Georgia, Iceland, China, and Vietnam are used to illustrate research being conducted with NIDA support. Health services research, collaboratively funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Department of State, addresses a range of addiction service development questions in low- and middle-income countries. Findings have expanded the understanding of addiction and its treatment, and are enhancing the ability of practitioners and policy makers to address substance use disorders.

Use of pharmacotherapies in the treatment of alcohol use disorders and opioid dependence in primary care.

Substance-related and addictive disorders are chronic relapsing conditions that substantially impact public health. Effective treatments for these disorders require addressing substance use/dependence comprehensively as well as other associated comorbidities. Comprehensive addressing of substance use in a medical setting involves screening for substance use, addressing substance use directly with the patient, and formulating an appropriate intervention. For alcohol dependence and opioid dependence, pharmacotherapies are available that are safe and effective when utilized in a comprehensive treatment paradigm, such as medication assisted treatment. In primary care, substance use disorders involving alcohol, illicit opioids, and prescription opioid abuse are common among patients who seek primary care services. Primary care providers report low levels of preparedness and confidence in identifying substance-related and addictive disorders and providing appropriate care and treatment. However, new models of service delivery in primary care for individuals with substance-related and addictive disorders are being developed to promote screening, care and treatment, and relapse prevention. The education and training of primary care providers utilizing approved medications for the treatment of alcohol use disorders and opioid dependence in a primary care setting would have important public health impact and reduce the burden of alcohol abuse and opioid dependence.

Substance Abuse Treatment, HIV/AIDS, and the Continuum of Response for People Who Inject Drugs.

The continuum of response (CoR) to HIV/AIDS is a framework for implementation of HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs based on a national strategic plan for HIV/AIDS services. The CoR for people who inject drugs (PWID) is an important extension of the developed CoR to HIV/AIDS. The CoR-PWID employs stakeholders who together plan, develop, pilot, and provide a full range of services that address the various prevention, care/support, and treatment needs of people, families, and communities infected or affected by HIV/AIDS and injection drug use. The CoR-PWID comprises a broad range of services that include but are not limited to the World Health Organization priority interventions for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care in the health sector and the package of essential interventions for the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV for people who inject drugs. Implementation of these well-defined, essential prevention, care/support, and treatment services, in addition to locally defined needed services, in a coordinated fashion is important to clients, their families, and communities. The CoR-PWID is, therefore, a necessary framework essential for service development for countries that address HIV/AIDS in populations of PWID.

Improving public health through access to and utilization of medication assisted treatment.

Providing access to and utilization of medication assisted treatment (MAT) for the treatment of opioid abuse and dependence provides an important opportunity to improve public health. Access to health services comprising MAT in the community is fundamental to achieve broad service coverage. The type and placement of the health services comprising MAT and integration with primary medical care including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention, care and treatment services are optimal for addressing both substance abuse and co-occurring infectious diseases. As an HIV prevention intervention, integrated (same medical record for HIV services and MAT services) MAT with HIV prevention, care and treatment programs provides the best "one stop shopping" approach for health service utilization. Alternatively, MAT, medical and HIV services can be separately managed but co-located to allow convenient utilization of primary care, MAT and HIV services. A third approach is coordinated care and treatment, where primary care, MAT and HIV services are provided at distinct locations and case managers, peer facilitators, or others promote direct service utilization at the various locations. Developing a continuum of care for patients with opioid dependence throughout the stages MAT enhances the public health and Recovery from opioid dependence. As a stigmatized and medical disenfranchised population with multiple medical, psychological and social needs, people who inject drugs and are opioid dependent have difficulty accessing services and navigating medical systems of coordinated care. MAT programs that offer comprehensive services and medical care options can best contribute to improving the health of these individuals thereby enhancing the health of the community.

A model federal collaborative to increase patient access to buprenorphine treatment in HIV primary care.

A Health Resources and Services Administration-Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration collaboration was established to improve health outcomes for opiate-dependent HIV-infected patients through promotion of integrated models of HIV primary care and substance abuse treatment. The collaboration comprised 10 demonstration sites coordinated by a technical assistance/evaluation center that worked to refine planned interventions, address state-of-the-art treatment and policy issues relating to the use of buprenorphine opioid abuse treatment in HIV primary care settings, conduct local and multisite evaluations, and disseminate program findings. This article describes the goals and objectives of the collaborative as well as the interagency interactions and steps taken to establish the collaborative.

Medication-assisted treatment and HIV/AIDS: aspects in treating HIV-infected drug users.

Drug use and HIV/AIDS remain serious public health issues in the US. The intersection of the twin epidemics of HIV and drug/alcohol use, results in difficult medical management issues for the healthcare providers who work in the HIV prevention and treatment fields. Access to care and treatment, medication adherence to multiple therapeutic regimens and concomitant drug-drug interactions of prescribed treatments are difficult barriers for drug users to overcome without directed interventions. Injection drug users are frequently disenfranchised from medical care and suffer stigma and discrimination creating additional barriers to care and treatment for their substance use disorders as well as HIV infection. Controlling the transmission of HIV will require access to care and treatment of individuals who abuse illicit drugs and alcohol. Improving health outcomes (e.g. access to and adherence to antiretroviral therapy) among HIV-infected substance users will also require access to evidenced-based pharmacological therapies for the treatment of drug abuse and dependence. The current review presents an overview of issues regarding the use of medication-assisted treatments for substance abuse and dependence among HIV-infected individuals, providing medical management paradigms for their care and treatment.

Medication assisted treatment in the treatment of drug abuse and dependence in HIV/AIDS infected drug users.

Drug use and HIV/AIDS are global public health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 30% of HIV infections are related to drug use and associated behaviors. The intersection, of the twin epidemics of HIV and drug/alcohol use, results in difficult medical management issues for the health care providers and researchers who work in the expanding global HIV prevention and treatment fields. Access to care and treatment, medication adherence to multiple therapeutic regimens, and concomitant drug -drug interactions of prescribed treatments are difficult barriers for drug users to overcome without directed interventions. Injection drug users are frequently disenfranchised from medical care and suffer sigma and discrimination creating additional barriers to care and treatment for their drug abuse and dependence as well as HIV infection. In an increasing number of studies, medication assisted treatment of drug abuse and dependence has been shown to be an important HIV prevention intervention. Controlling the global transmission of HIV will require further investment in evidence-based interventions and programs to enhance access to care and treatment of individuals who abuse illicit drugs and alcohol. In this review, we present the cumulative evidence of the importance of medication assisted treatment in the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV infected individuals who also abuse drugs and alcohol.

Integration of viral hepatitis services into opioid treatment programs.

Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) dispense methadone and buprenorphine under specific federal regulations to individuals diagnosed with opioid dependence. OTPs can provide a comprehensive therapeutic milieu, often including primary medical care, psychosocial counseling, vocational rehabilitation, ongoing performance monitoring, and other vital services. Because of the high prevalence of infectious diseases, particularly hepatitis C virus infection, model OTPs are developing comprehensive care and treatment programs that integrate general medical and infectious disease-related medical care with substance abuse and mental health services. Integrating hepatitis care services in the substance abuse treatment settings fosters access to care for patients with multiple comorbidities, many who otherwise would not receive needed care. Improving health related outcomes for this patient population with complex medical problems requires an advanced integrated model of care for OTPs that can be exemplified through establishing resources needed to prevent hepatitis infection as standard of care. Outcomes management becomes possible through enhancing current capability of existing dispensing programs. This may serve as a national model for highly cost-efficient healthcare that has a measurable outcome of improved health.

Hepatitis infection in the treatment of opioid dependence and abuse.

Many new and existing cases of viral hepatitis infections are related to injection drug use. Transmission of these infections can result directly from the use of injection equipment that is contaminated with blood containing the hepatitis B or C virus or through sexual contact with an infected individual. In the latter case, drug use can indirectly contribute to hepatitis transmission through the dis-inhibited at-risk behavior, that is, unprotected sex with an infected partner. Individuals who inject drugs are at-risk for infection from different hepatitis viruses, hepatitis A, B, or C. Those with chronic hepatitis B virus infection also face additional risk should they become co-infected with hepatitis D virus. Protection from the transmission of hepatitis viruses A and B is best achieved by vaccination. For those with a history of or who currently inject drugs, the medical management of viral hepatitis infection comprising screening, testing, counseling and providing care and treatment is evolving. Components of the medical management of hepatitis infection, for persons considering, initiating, or receiving pharmacologic therapy for opioid addiction include: testing for hepatitis B and C infections; education and counseling regarding at-risk behavior and hepatitis transmission, acute and chronic hepatitis infection, liver disease and its care and treatment; vaccination against hepatitis A and B infection; and integrative primary care as part of the comprehensive treatment approach for recovery from opioid abuse and dependence. In addition, participation in a peer support group as part of integrated medical care enhances treatment outcomes. Liver disease is highly prevalent in patient populations seeking recovery from opioid addiction or who are currently receiving pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction. Pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction is not a contraindication to evaluation, care, or treatment of liver disease due to hepatitis virus infection. Successful pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction stabilizes patients and improves patient compliance to care and treatment regimens as well as promotes good patient outcomes. Implementation and integration of effective hepatitis prevention programs, care programs, and treatment regimens in concert with the pharmacological therapy of opioid addiction can reduce the public health burdens of hepatitis and injection drug use.

Medication assisted treatment of drug abuse and dependence: global availability and utilization.

Clinical trials and clinical studies, using patented drugs and drugs off patent, provide data that impact the best treatment practices for substance abuse and dependence. In the United States, medications have been approved for use in the treatment of both alcohol and opioid dependence. Medications are used in the detoxification from drug abuse and dependence in the symptomatic relief of withdrawal. For long term treatment or medical maintenance treatment, medications eliminate the physiological effects of drug use by blocking drug-receptor binding in the brain. Therefore, patented drugs showing interactions with neurotransmitters in the brain, are attractive candidates for treatment efficacy trials. An effective long term treatment paradigm for reducing drug dependence is the combinatorial use of medications that block the effects of drug use with behavior change counseling and psychotherapy. Medications used for the long term treatment of opioid dependence are methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone. Pharmacotherapies used in the treatment of alcohol dependence include acamprosate, antabuse and naltrexone. A reliable indicator for successful treatment of drug dependence is time in treatment. Patients remain in long term treatment when they perceive that their health care environment is supportive and non-stigmatizing and with a good patient-provider relationship where their needs are identified and met. Additional medications are needed for individual comprehensive substance abuse treatment plans, particularly for individuals who abuse stimulants. Patented drugs remain an important source of candidate pharmacotherapies comprising medication assistant treatment, part of a comprehensive treatment plan for drug dependence that addresses the medical, social, and psychological needs of the patient. Adapting this drug treatment paradigm globally requires identifying and testing new drug candidates while building and changing programs to patient centered treatment programs that promote access to care and treatment and integrate medical, psychological, and social services.

Integrating care for hepatitis C virus (HCV) and primary care for HIV for injection drug users coinfected with HIV and HCV.

Injection drug use accounts for most of the incident infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and for at least one-third of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. Coinfection with HCV and HIV presents complex and challenging medical conditions. Ensuring access to and maintaining care for HIV and HCV for drug users presents special challenges to the health care team that require a nonjudgmental attitude, experience, and patience. Care for HCV infection, however, can be used as an instrument to engage drug-using persons in ongoing primary care relationships. Common elements to both care for HCV infection and primary care for HIV infection are testing for and counseling about HCV and HIV, substance abuse and mental health services, social support, and subspecialty referral. These elements, in particular treatment for substance abuse, can be focal points for model care systems that provide integrative care for both HCV and HIV infections.

Integration of pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction into HIV primary care for HIV/hepatitis C virus-co-infected patients.

Pharmacotherapy for substance abuse is a rapidly evolving field comprising both old and new effective treatments for substance use. Opiate agonist therapy has been shown to diminish and often eliminate opiate use. This behavior change has resulted in the reduced transmission of many infections, including HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and an enhanced quality of life. For the past 35 years, the provision of opioid agonist therapy has been limited to opioid treatment programmes. Opioid treatment programmes treat approximately 200,000 of the estimated million opiate-addicted individuals in the United States. With the need to increase the number of treatment opportunities available for opioid-dependent patients, Congress passed the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000, which allows for the treatment of opioid dependence using buprenorphine by a properly licensed physician, including HIV primary care physicians. The integration of buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction into HIV primary care thus provides a new treatment paradigm to address substance abuse in patients with HIV and HCV infections.

Overcoming barriers to prevention, care, and treatment of hepatitis C in illicit drug users.

Injection drug use accounts for most of the incident infections with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the United States and other developed countries. HCV infection is a complex and challenging medical condition in injection drug users (IDUs). Elements of care for hepatitis C in illicit drug users include prevention counseling and education; screening for transmission risk behavior; testing for HCV and human immunodeficiency virus infection; vaccination against hepatitis A and B viruses; evaluation for comorbidities; coordination of substance-abuse treatment services, psychiatric care, and social support; evaluation of liver disease; and interferon-based treatment for HCV infection. Caring for patients who use illicit drugs presents challenges to the health-care team that require patience, experience, and an understanding of the dynamics of substance use and addiction. Nonetheless, programs are successfully integrating hepatitis C care for IDUs into health-care settings, including primary care, methadone treatment and other substance-abuse treatment programs, infectious disease clinics, and clinics in correctional facilities.

Co-occurring Hepatitis C, substance use, and psychiatric illness: treatment issues and developing integrated models of care.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is transmitted by injection drug use and associated with psychiatric conditions. Patients with drug use or significant psychiatric illness have typically been excluded from HCV treatment trials noting the 1997 National Institutes of Health Consensus Statement on HCV that indicated active drug use and major depressive illness were contraindications to treatment of HCV infection. However, the 2002 NIH Consensus Statement recognized that these patients could be effectively treated for HCV infection and recommended that treatment be considered on a case-by-case basis. Treating HCV infection in these patients is challenging, with drug use relapse possibly leading to psychosocial instability, poor adherence, and HCV reinfection. Interferon therapy may exacerbate preexisting psychiatric symptoms. Co-occurring human immunodeficiency virus or hepatitis B virus provide additional challenges, and access to ancillary medical and psychiatric services may be limited. Patients with co-occurring HCV infection, substance use, and psychiatric illness can complete interferon treatment with careful monitoring and aggressive intervention. Clinicians must integrate early interventions for psychiatric conditions and drug use into their treatment algorithm. Few programs or treatment models are designed to manage co-occurring substance use, psychiatric illness, and HCV infection and therapy. The National Institute on Drug Abuse convened a panel of experts to address the current status and the long-range needs through a 2-day workshop, Co-occurring Hepatitis C, Substance Abuse, and Psychiatric Illness: Addressing the Issues and Developing Integrated Models of Care. This conference report summarizes current data, medical management issues, and strategies discussed.

Hepatitis C infection and injection drug use: the role of hepatologists in evolving treatment efforts.

Treatment regimens for both substance abuse and hepatitis C infection are complex and evolving. New pharmacotherapy for opioid addiction allows for office-based treatment and, thus, an opportunity for expanded treatment in the context of hepatitis C infection. The current article addresses the newly evolving, complex issues in the medical management of hepatitis C and injection drug use.

Addressing the need for treatment paradigms for drug-abusing patients with multiple morbidities.

Persons who use and abuse drugs are at risk for multiple morbidities that involve addiction, bloodborne infectious diseases, and sexually transmitted diseases, in addition to psychiatric illness and social instability. Infectious diseases acquired as a result of drug use can diffuse into non-drug using populations through other high-risk behaviors. Drug users also have substantial comorbidities from noncommunicable diseases and complications that can affect virtually every organ system in the body. Diagnosis of comorbidities and complications associated with drug abuse usually occurs late in the disease course, particularly for persons who are disenfranchised and have limited or no access to medical care. Medical management of these comorbid conditions constitutes a significant challenge. Directly observed therapy (DOT) can be useful but needs to conform to the needs of the targeted treatment population for full efficacy. DOT may have its greatest impact with drug users destabilized by cocaine or methamphetamine use but has yet to be fully investigated in this patient population.

Alcohol use and HIV pharmacotherapy.

Alcohol consumption by individuals infected with HIV is an important medical management issue with significant implications for the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy as well as an important evolving field of HIV research. Alcohol consumption is a risk factor for poor medication adherence and can modify liver drug metabolism, both of which can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant virus. Research indicates that alcohol consumption greater than 50 g/day (four or five drinks) is a risk factor for liver disease progression among patients with HIV/HCV coinfection. In addition, alcohol-induced cirrhosis can result in changes in drug metabolism in the liver through compromised liver function. More research studies are needed to elucidate the biological and molecular basis of the clinical changes induced by alcohol consumption in HIV-infected individuals and on the relationship of these changes to the effectiveness of HIV pharmacotherapy. Specifically, research areas that are of particular importance are (1) determining alcohol consumption levels and patterns and its impact on antiretroviral medication adherence, efficacy, and physician prescribing practices; (2) identifying behavioral interventions to enhance adherence to HIV medications and reduce alcohol consumption; (3) clarifying the relationships and interactions among alcohol metabolism, HIV drug metabolism, and pharmacogenetics; (4) elucidating the extent of liver toxicity due to antiretroviral therapy and drug-drug interactions in individuals who consume alcohol; and (5) delineating the contribution of alcohol consumption to end-stage organ damage, particularly in HIV/HCV coinfection.