Results of world's first study on new treatment for heroin addiction
The results of the ground-breaking SALOME research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Psychiatry, show chronic heroin addiction now has another effective treatment tool - hyrdomorphone, a licensed pain medication. SALOME, which stands for the Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness, found hydromorphone (HDM) to be as effective as diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical-grade prescription heroin) for people who have not benefited from previous treatments, such as methadone or suboxone.
"The findings of the SALOME researchers shine a new light on how we can help people with heroin addictions," said Health Minister Terry Lake. "While methadone and suboxone are effective for many people with opioid addictions, there is a proportion of people who have not found success with these treatments. The SALOME study shows there are alternative treatments that may be able to help those who don't respond to methadone and suboxone. This is very exciting research and could go a long way in helping those who need it."
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