NIH study supports starting buprenorphine in EDs for OUD patients using fentanyl

New results from an ongoing clinical trial provide strong evidence that emergency departments can safely start buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder without triggering withdrawal in people who use fentanyl, the National Institutes of Health reports. The findings build upon existing evidence that administering buprenorphine in emergency departments helps people begin addiction treatment and that higher-dose buprenorphine is safe and well tolerated in people with OUD experiencing withdrawal symptoms, the agency said.

"The emergency department is an important touchpoint for providing life-saving medication and resources for people at risk for overdose," said Rebecca Baker, director of NIH's Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative. "We need to meet people where they are amid an increasingly deadly overdose crisis."