THE SUN LOST FOCUS OF BUPRENORPHINE POSITIVE ASPECTS

In The Sun's recent series of articles on buprenorphine, the many
positive aspects of buprenorphine seem to have been lost in the
overwhelming focus on its negatives. The first and most important of
these positive aspects is the number of studies that have shown how
effective the medication is at helping people stop using heroin and
prescription pain killers.

The diversion of buprenorphine, although an issue, must be put in the
context of the illicit sale of other medications - for instance,
there is even a black market for antibiotics and asthma inhalers.

As for safety issues, in the United States, there is little evidence
that buprenorphine causes or even has a substantial contribution to
the reported "buprenorphine-related deaths," and there are no cases
of deaths related solely to buprenorphine - unlike the more than
1,000 deaths per year as a result of heroin and other prescription painkillers.

Dr. Christopher Welsh

Baltimore

The writer is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.