Buprenorphine better than Vivitrol in cost‐effectiveness study

For patients who are not already opioid‐free, buprenorphine‐naloxone is preferable to extended‐release naltrexone (Vivitrol), when both options are clinically appropriate, a new study has found. The main reason is the requirement that patients first be withdrawn from all opioids for a week before starting Vivitrol. The study, “Cost‐Effectiveness of Buprenorphine–Naloxone Versus Extended‐Release Naltrexone to Prevent Opioid Relapse,” is by Sean M. Murphy, Ph.D., and colleagues and was published in the Dec. 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine .