Vietnam to use buprenorphine in drug addiction treatment

Vietnam will use buprenorphine beside the methadone therapy to treat drug addicts, The Health Ministry’s Vietnam Authority of HIV/AIDS Control (VAAC) announced at a meeting held on May 10 in Dien Bien province.

Vietnam to use buprenorphine in drug addiction treatment.

Accordingly, the buprenorphine treatment program will soon be applied to treating drug addicts in Dien Bien, Son La and Nghe An. Drug addicts can choose to be treated with methadone treatment or buprenorphine treatment.

A recent report from the Ministry of Public Security shows that there are more than 250,000 drug addicts nationwide, of whom 69% are addicted to opioid substances.

According to Nguyen Hoang Long, head of the VAAC, both methadone and buprenorphine can reduce patients’ cravings and stop them from depending on opioid substances, while also reducing risks of blood-transmitted diseases for the patients.

However, buprenorphine has much more benefits than methadone as its effect lasts longer in patients’ blood.