ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2022
Experiences with take-home dosing in heroin-assisted treatment in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic-Is an update of legal restrictions warranted?
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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16 citing papers in PubMed, 36 citations in OpenAlex.
- Operational and clinical procedures of heroin-assisted treatment in Switzerland: a nation-wide survey study.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- [Challenges in the treatment of opioid dependence].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Review
- "If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would be here": experiences of the first year of a safer supply program during the dual public health emergencies of COVID-19 and the drug toxicity crisis.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Implementation of pharmaceutical alternatives to a toxic drug supply in British Columbia: A mixed methods study.Journal of substance use and addiction treatment · 2024Article
- Evaluation of heroin-assisted treatment in Norway: protocol for a mixed methods study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Interest in treatment with injectable diacetylmorphine among people who use opioids in Baltimore City, Maryland (USA).Annals of medicine · 2023Article
- Supervised on-site dosing in injectable opioid agonist treatment-considering the patient perspective. Findings from a cross-sectional interview study in two German cities.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Shifting drug markets in North America - a global crisis in the making?International journal of mental health systems · 2023Article
- Patients' satisfaction with heroin-assisted treatment: a qualitative study.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Changes in daily dose in open-label compared to double-blind: The role of clients' expectations in injectable opioid agonist treatment.Addictive behaviors reports · 2023Article
- Clients' experiences on North America's first take-home injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT) program: a qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- 'This is hardcore': a qualitative study exploring service users' experiences of Heroin-Assisted Treatment (HAT) in Middlesbrough, England.Harm reduction journal · 2023Article
- Safety and feasibility of intranasal heroin-assisted treatment: 4-week preliminary findings from a Swiss multicentre observational study.Harm reduction journal · 2023Observational
- The Fentanyl System Shock - Are There Lessons to Learn From the COVID-19 System Shock Framework? Comment on "The COVID-19 System Shock Framework: Capturing Health System Innovation During the COVID-19 Pandemic".International journal of health policy and management · 2023Article
- Changes in Opioid Agonist Treatment Practice in Germany during the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have Physicians Done, and What Would They Like to Keep Doing?European addiction research · 2023Article
- Nasal administration of diacetylmorphine improved the adherence in a patient receiving heroin-assisted treatment.Harm reduction journal · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Heroin-assisted treatment comprises the use of diacetylmorphine (pharmaceutical heroin) for individuals with severe opioid use disorder. In Switzerland, take-home doses in heroin-assisted treatment are more strictly regulated as compared to conventional opioid agonist treatment. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss Federal Council provisionally adapted its policy, allowing for longer prescriptions of take-home diacetylmorphine. Before the beginning of the pandemic, take-home doses only occurred in exceptional circumstances and under strict criteria for patient eligibility. Following the legislative adaptations, we critically revised our internal centre policies as well. We report our experiences with oral take-home diacetylmorphine from a Swiss outpatient university centre specialising in heroin-assisted treatment. An additional 45 patients received take-home doses following the first lockdown. While some patients wished to return to their previous treatment regimen, most patients managed their medication well and showed good adherence. We also noticed an increase of treatment admissions that are likely related to the relaxed regulations. Previously, the strict therapeutic framework of visiting a HAT centre twice a day for supervised dispensing seemed to have discouraged these individuals from seeking medical treatment. From a medical point of view, the politically driven restrictions on take-home doses in heroin-assisted treatment are questionable and do not support the goal of harm reduction.
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