CONGRESS IMPROVES HEROIN TREATMENT OPTIONS

BALTIMORE - Organizations such as Sheppard Pratt Health System can
now treat more than three times as many heroin addicts with the
highly effective drug buprenorphine, thanks to a move by Congress to
amend the Controlled Substances Act.

The changes, approved Dec. 8, raise from 30 to 100 the number of
patients a clinic or hospital can treat with the drug.

That is a boon to drug abuse counselors and to addicts in the
Baltimore region, said addictions educator Michael Gimbel, of
Sheppard Pratt. "This is a very important piece of legislation. It
will immediately allow us to treat more heroin and opiate addicts.
Buprenorphine seems to be a very effective alternative to methadone
in treating addicts."

The drug is the only controlled medication doctors may prescribe in
private practices with certification. However the law still has
flaws, Sheppard Pratt spokeswoman Bonnie Katz said. The entire
Sheppard Pratt system can only treat 100 patients with the drug, she
said, which is a deterrent to spending the money to train and certify
additional doctors.