Office-Based Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder and Pharmacy Dispensing: A Scoping Review

What is it about?

Methadone, an evidence-based opioid agonist therapy, can not be prescribed for treatment of opioid use disorder and is only available through federally certified opioid treatment programs. A scoping review examined the literature on office-based methadone and pharmacy dispensing. Six clinical trials and seven observational studies suggest that office-based methadone is safe for stable methadone patients. Pharmacy dispensing of methadone is common in Canada and Europe but is not allowed in the U.S. Access to office-based methadone with pharmacy dispensing could enhance access to opioid agonist therapy especially in rural communities.

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