METHADONE UNDER SCRUTINY

SPECIAL research into the high rate of heroin addicts dropping out of
methadone treatment will be funded in SA by the Federal Government.

The use of methadone is the main form of treatment for heroin addiction -
but it falls in one out of three cases, with addicts either dropping out or
using it with heroin.

The National Health and Medical Research Council has announced a grant of
more than $186,000 to the University of Adelaide's department of clinical
experimental pharmacology.

The grant will be used to improve methadone treatments.

A researcher, Professor Andrew Somogyi said that while methadone programs
had been proved effective in trials in Australia and overseas, the standard
doses used were not suitable for all patients.

Some experienced withdrawal symptoms on normal dosages and were more likely
to drop out from treatment.

"We want to find out what is unusual about this 30 per cent who drop out,"
he said.

"Is it because they take other illicit drugs, absorb methadone a lot slower
or excrete it quicker?"

Professor Somogyi said the genetic make-up of some users may be important
to the success of treatment.

He said the aim of the three-year study was to identify characteristics
which could be used to predict the success of the treatment.

Those who were unsuitable could be given alternative pharmaco-theraples,
such as naltrexone or laam.

"What we do know so far is that those who say the methadone is not working
drop their blood levels of methadone too quickly," he said.

About 70 addicts had been studied so far in intensive studies which
required observation and medical examination over 24 hours.

SA received a total of $3.4 million in new grants which support 47
researchers at the three universities, the Institute of Medical and
Veterinary Science and Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

More than $42 million was distributed in new grants to researchers in all
States.

Checked-by: derek rea