PAINKILLER JOINS THE HEROIN FIGHT

A drug used as a painkiller for 25 years offers new hope for Australia's
heroin addicts after its approval for Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidies.

Clinical trials have shown that about 50 per cent of addicts stop using
heroin while being treated with buprenorphine hydrochloride, which was
released to accredited general practitioners and clinics yesterday under
the brand name Subutex.

About 90 per cent significantly reduced their heroin use while on the
treatment, said Dr Alex Wodak, director of the Alcohol and Drug Service at
Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital.

Doctors said the drug, a tablet that dissolves under the tongue, offered
milder withdrawal than methadone, which many users struggle to give up.

While methadone is taken daily, Subutex can be taken every three days and
so "reduces the risk of overdose and other health problems", said Annie
Madden, executive officer at the Australian Intravenous League.

The drug reduces cravings and the euphoric effects of any lapses into
heroin use during rehabilitation.

A study by the Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre last year found 86 per
cent of addicts given the drug completed a detoxification program, compared
with 57 per cent given traditional treatments.