Efficacy of daily and alternate-day dosing regimens with the combination buprenorphine–naloxone tablet

Abstract

This study evaluated the efficacy of a combination tablet formulation of buprenorphine containing 8 mg of buprenorphine and 2 mg of naloxone for every other day treatment and whether increasing the daily maintenance dose was essential for maintaining an efficacious alternate-day treatment. Twenty-six opioid-dependent outpatients completing a 16-day baseline entered a double-blind, placebo-controlled, triple crossover trial. Twenty-one days of daily combination tablet administration were compared to two different 21-day periods of alternate-day buprenorphine administration where subjects received either 8 or 16 mg of the combination tablet every other day with placebo on the interposed day. Fifty-four percent (14/26) of subjects completed the study, but only two subjects dropped out during the 16-mg alternate-day condition. Rates of medication compliance, illicit opioid use and subject- and observer-rated measures of opioid effects did not distinguish daily from alternate-day treatments in subjects completing the study. However, pupillary diameter was significantly increased during 8-mg alternate-day compared to the 8-mg daily or 16-mg alternate-day treatment. These data replicate earlier findings describing the acceptability of alternate-day buprenorphine treatment using multiples of the daily maintenance dose and extend these findings by establishing the clinical efficacy of daily and alternate-day dosing regimens with the combination buprenorphine–naloxone tablet. This study also suggests slightly improved outcomes during alternate-day treatment using multiples of the daily dose.