Treatment of Opioid Use: Medication Adherence Therapy

Residential detox is an ideal opportunity for initiation of relapse prevention medication, particularly XRNTX, which requires some delay after recent opioid use. But concerns from the field emphasize barriers to induction (as highlighted by the recent results of the CTN51 XBOT study), poor adherence and retention. Clarification is needed on optimal delivery, including a psychosocial treatment platform that is focused more specifically on medication adherence through engagement and empowerment of significant others, and through training and supervision of counselors. Adherence in non-research conditions has been a barrier. To address these gaps, it is proposed this robust intervention, incorporating XRNTX into a multi-component model of care emphasizing adherence enhancement. Assertive outreach is a well-described intervention that is effective in chronic illness, eg in the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model for serious and persistent mental illness, and the Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) model for co-occurring disorders. Significant other involvement is a well-established method of improving adherence (e.g. in Network Therapy and Community Reinforcement Approach and Family Training). Significant other involvement is also built into the standard Medication Management model (used in XBOT,COMBINE and others) but it has not been actually used in most implementations. Finally, the use of counselors to drive medication adherence takes advantage of the typically greater contact and alliance that counselors have with patients compared to medical staff.

Several adherence enhancement components are combined synergistically: XRNTX, initiated during residential treatment and dosed monthly; significant other engagement empowers caregivers, providing guidance for encouragement, monitoring and supervision of medication adherence; Assertive outreach incorporates frequent multi-channel contact, case management; Counselor role clarification, training and supervision provides a clear focus on medication adherence.

Primary outcome for this objective is # of doses of XRNTX received within the planned 4 months duration of outpatient treatment. The primary analysis will be a comparison of the mean # of doses in the intervention compared to the control group. Additional analyses will include comparisons of % of subjects receiving all 4 doses, % of subjects receiving at least 1 dose as outpatients as a demonstration of linkage from inpatient to outpatient treatment.

Secondary outcomes for this feasibility objective include process outcomes for feasibility and acceptability, including: # and type of outreach attempts (phone call, email, text, facebook message, etc) and successful contacts with patients and significant others, utilization of TAU counseling, rates of return to treatment after dropout. Lastly, assessments of satisfaction and significant other involvement will be obtained through focus groups conducted separately with patients and significant others to assess qualitative acceptability factors, both barriers and facilitators to success.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults age 18+ with OUD who present for an index episode of residential/inpatient opioid detoxification and seek treatment with XRNTX at community treatment provider Mountain Manor Treatment Center (MMTC)

Exclusion criteria

• LFTs > 5x ULN
• Psychiatric or medical instability (eg suicidality, psychosis. Sickle Cell disease with frequent crises, etc) that would preclude participation in the trial
• Living situation (location greater than 60 miles from the center, homelessness) that that would preclude participation in the trial