Pubdate: Sat, 22 Dec 2007 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2007 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 Note: Titled by Newshawk Author: Dr. Christopher Welsh THE SUN LOST FOCUS OF BUPRENORPHINE POSITIVE ASPECTS In The Sun's recent series of articles on buprenorphine, the many positive aspects of buprenorphine seem to have been lost in the overwhelming focus on its negatives. The first and most important of these positive aspects is the number of studies that have shown how effective the medication is at helping people stop using heroin and prescription pain killers. The diversion of buprenorphine, although an issue, must be put in the context of the illicit sale of other medications - for instance, there is even a black market for antibiotics and asthma inhalers. As for safety issues, in the United States, there is little evidence that buprenorphine causes or even has a substantial contribution to the reported "buprenorphine-related deaths," and there are no cases of deaths related solely to buprenorphine - unlike the more than 1,000 deaths per year as a result of heroin and other prescription painkillers. Dr. Christopher Welsh Baltimore The writer is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom