Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39950179›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2025

Evaluating the antagonist effect of naltrexone implant via opioid challenge tests with escalating doses of hydromorphone injection in former heroin dependent patients.

Wei Qu, Xuyi Wang, Chongyang Dong, Tao Zhang, Shugui Yin, Zhijun Sun, Shiqiang Wang, Anni Guo, Wei Hao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Trial
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Wei QuResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Xuyi WangInstitute of Mental Health of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, National Medical Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, China.
Chongyang DongPeking University Clinical Research Institute, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China.
Tao ZhangResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Shugui YinResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Zhijun SunResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Shiqiang WangResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Anni GuoResearch Department, Shenzhen Sciencare Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
Wei HaoInstitute of Mental Health of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, National Medical Center for Mental Disorders, Changsha, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Opioid dependence is a serious, life-threatening condition with severe social impacts. Naltrexone (NTX) can weaken the effect of opioids and effectively reduce opioid self-administration, discrimination, and opioid-induced subjective effects, and the oral dosage form has been approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. However, the effectiveness of oral naltrexone as an opioid antagonist has been limited due to poor patient adherence. A long-acting formulation in the form of naltrexone implant (NTX-IMP) with a five-month duration of action may address this issue and improve outcomes. This study (trial registration number: CTR20181954) aimed to evaluate the effect, safety, and pharmacokinetics of NTX-IMP in agonist effects via hydromorphone challenge test, and to determine optimal dosages for future research. Thirty-one former opioid-dependent individuals were randomized to the 0.9g or the 1.5g NTX-IMP group. All subjects exhibited significant antagonistic effects during hydromorphone challenge test. Calculation of slope between VAS score or pupil diameter and hydromorphone dose suggested a stronger antagonistic effect in the 1.5 g group. Pharmacokinetic data suggested that effective plasma naltrexone concentration (≥1ng/ml) was detected from the third day for over 148 days, with higher concentration and longer duration in the 1.5 g group. All subjects tolerated NTX-IMP well. The findings indicate that the NXT-IMP effectively blocks the agonistic effects of hydromorphone in a dose-dependent manner.

Indexed as

hydromorphonelong-acting naltrexone implant (NTX-IMP)naltrexoneopioid blockageopioid challenge

Identifiers

PMID39950179
PMCPMC11821577

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.