Camurus announced positive study results for its subcutaneous buprenorphine depot injections (Buvidal) for treating opioid dependence.

Lund, Sweden-based Camurus’ 24-week, randomized, controlled trial compared patient-reported outcomes of opioid dependence treatment with subcutaneous weekly and monthly Buvidal depot injections against daily sublingual buprenorphine. Results were published in JAMA Network Open yesterday.

“The depot evaluation – buprenorphine utilization trial (Debut) results published showed that patients randomized to receive treatment for opioid dependence with weekly or monthly depot buprenorphine injections reported significantly higher and more sustained treatment satisfaction, less treatment burden and higher quality of life ratings than those treated with daily sublingual buprenorphine,” principal investigator and conjoint professor of addiction medicine at the University of Sydney, Australia, Nicholas Lintzeris, said in a news release. “The study’s focus on patient-reported measures better informs patients and clinicians in selecting treatment options than clinical outcomes routinely used in previous studies of opioid dependence treatments.”

The Debut trial randomized 119 patients across six outpatient clinical sites in Australia and observed the primary outcome of global treatment satisfaction through the 14-question Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) at the end of the study after 24 weeks.

Debut met its primary endpoint with a significantly higher TSQM global satisfaction score among those who received Buvidal depot injections compared to those who received sublingual buprenorphine. Decreased treatment burden and higher quality of life were also observed as secondary outcomes for the Buvidal group, while the safety profile remained consistent with the known safety profile of buprenorphine, aside from transient, mild-to-moderate injection site reactions.

“This is to our knowledge the first randomized study performed to compare a range of different patient-reported outcomes between a long-acting injection and daily dosing of buprenorphine in the treatment of opioid dependence,” Camurus CMO Dr. Peter Hjelmström said. “The study highlights the use of different patient-reported outcomes as alternate clinical study endpoints and demonstrates the value of Buvidal from a patient’s perspective.”