Information about Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)

Medication-assisted treatment is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) and can help some people to sustain recovery.

More must be done to facilitate treatment options and the development of therapies to address OUD as a chronic disease with long-lasting effects. This means helping more people secure Medication-Assisted Treatment. It also requires us to find new and more effective ways to advance the use of medical therapy for the treatment of OUD.t

There are three drugs approved by the FDA for the treatment of opioid dependence: buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone. All three of these treatments have been demonstrated to be safe and effective in combination with counseling and psychosocial support. Everyone who seeks treatment for an OUD should be offered access to all three options as this allows providers to work with patients to select the treatment best suited to an individual’s needs. Due to the chronic nature of OUD, the need for continuing MAT should be re‐evaluated periodically. There is no maximum recommended duration of maintenance treatment, and for some patients, treatment may continue indefinitely.

FDA-approved buprenorphine products approved for the treatment of opioid dependence include:

• Bunavail (buprenorphine and naloxone) buccal film
• Cassipa (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual film
• Probuphine (buprenorphine) implant for subdermal administration
• Sublocade (buprenorphine extended‐release) injection for subcutaneous use
• Suboxone (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual film for sublingual or buccal use, or sublingual tablet.
• Subutex (buprenorphine) sublingual tablet
• Zubsolv (buprenorphine and naloxone) sublingual tablets

FDA-approved methadone products for the treatmetn of opioid dependence include:

• Dolophine (methadone hydrochloride) tablets
• Methadose (methadone hydrochloride) oral concentrate

FDA-approved naltrexone products approved for the treatment of opioid dependence include:

• Vivitrol (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) intramuscular

What are the goals of medication-assisted treatment?

The goal of medication-assisted treatments is to control a specific set of conditions during the early stages of recovery. Once the conditions are addressed, the individual should taper off the medication as they replace negative coping skills with functional behaviors.