Study to Assess Longer-term Opioid Medication Effectiveness (SALOME)

Summary

The purpose of this study, SALOME, is to determine if 1) the closely supervised provision of injectable, hydromorphone (HDM; trade name Dilaudid™) is as effective as injectable diacetylmorphine (DAM; heroin) in the treatment of chronic, multi-morbid opioid-dependent individuals who have not benefited sufficiently from conventional treatments, and if a switch to the oral equivalent of hydromorphone and diacetylmorphine is as effective as the injection form. The availability of an effective, licensed opioid medication such as hydromorphone, for substitution treatment of chronic, multi-morbid treatment-refractory opioid-dependent individuals, would be of immense impact locally and internationally. It could help to establish alternative treatment options where for non-medical reasons Heroin Assisted Treatment would not be acceptable. Thus, one result could be the expansion of treatment options for the most difficult to treat heroin dependent persons. This would also be an important step for secondary prevention of HIV and Hepatitis C as well as a better integration of those patients in other medical treatments. Switching from intravenous to oral application would also reduce a lot of potential risk factors (like overdose, seizures, infections, etc) and side effects associated with the injection route. Additionally it could make these treatments more feasible in normal treatment settings, like existing methadone services.

Timeline

Start

2011-12

Primary completion

2014-06

Completion

2016-02

Publications

• Background Oviedo-Joekes E, Brissette S, Marsh DC, Lauzon P, Guh D, Anis A, Schechter MT. Diacetylmorphine versus methadone for the treatment of opioid addiction. N Engl J Med. 2009 Aug 20;361(8):777-86. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa0810635.
• Background Oviedo-Joekes E, Guh D, Brissette S, Marsh DC, Nosyk B, Krausz M, Anis A, Schechter MT. Double-blind injectable hydromorphone versus diacetylmorphine for the treatment of opioid dependence: a pilot study. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2010 Jun;38(4):408-11. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2010.03.003. Epub 2010 Mar 31.
• Palis H, Marchand K, Guh D, Brissette S, Lock K, MacDonald S, Harrison S, Anis AH, Krausz M, Marsh DC, Schechter MT, Oviedo-Joekes E. Men's and women's response to treatment and perceptions of outcomes in a randomized controlled trial of injectable opioid assisted treatment for severe opioid use disorder. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2017 May 19;12(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s13011-017-0110-9.
• Oviedo-Joekes E, Guh D, Brissette S, Marchand K, MacDonald S, Lock K, Harrison S, Janmohamed A, Anis AH, Krausz M, Marsh DC, Schechter MT. Hydromorphone Compared With Diacetylmorphine for Long-term Opioid Dependence: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2016 May 1;73(5):447-55. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.0109.
• Oviedo-Joekes E, Marchand K, Lock K, MacDonald S, Guh D, Schechter MT. The SALOME study: recruitment experiences in a clinical trial offering injectable diacetylmorphine and hydromorphone for opioid dependency. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2015 Jan 26;10:3. doi: 10.1186/1747-597X-10-3.

Drugs

Indications