0000000000860849
AUTHOR
Stephan Walcher
Maintenance treatment for opioid dependence with slow‐release oral morphine: a randomized cross‐over, non‐inferiority study versus methadone
Aims To compare the efficacy of slow-release oral morphine (SROM) and methadone as maintenance medication for opioid dependence in patients previously treated with methadone. Design Prospective, multiple-dose, open label, randomized, non-inferiority, cross-over study over two 11-week periods. Methadone treatment was switched to SROM with flexible dosing and vice versa according to period and sequence of treatment. Setting Fourteen out-patient addiction treatment centres in Switzerland and Germany. Participants Adults with opioid dependence in methadone maintenance programmes (dose ≥50 mg/day) for ≥26 weeks. Measurements The efficacy end-point was the proportion of heroin-positive urine samp…
Hepatitis C virus: Current steps toward elimination in Germany and barriers to reaching the 2030 goal
Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects over 70 million people globally, with an estimated 399 000 HCV‐related deaths in 2016. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a goal to eliminate HCV by 2030. Despite the availability of direct‐acting antivirals—highly effective and well‐tolerated therapies for HCV—many patients infected with HCV in Germany have not initiated treatment, including a majority of those who are aware of their positive diagnosis. Barriers to screening, diagnosis, and treatment are major factors taking many countries off track for HCV elimination by 2030. Identifying country‐specific barriers and challenges, particularly in at‐risk populations such as people who injec…