Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41550419›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol dependence reports2026

Characteristics and comorbidities of patients on opioid agonist therapy in Switzerland: A descriptive analysis of the nationwide SAMMSU cohort.

Michael Lütolf, Andrea Bregenzer, Philip Bruggmann, Alberto Moriggia, Claude Scheidegger, Katharina Hensel-Koch, Erika Castro Batänjer, Maria Christine Thurnheer, Pascale Della Santa, Oliver Senn and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol dependence reports, 2026. 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. Article
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

11 authors.

Michael LütolfInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Andrea BregenzerInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Philip BruggmannInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Alberto MoriggiaEpatocentro Ticino Foundation, Lugano & Ingrado Addiction Services, Lugano, Switzerland.
Claude ScheideggerIndependent, Basel & Swiss Hepatitis, Zurich, Switzerland.
Katharina Hensel-KochAddiction Support Foundation, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Erika Castro BatänjerPrivate Practice, Lausanne & HepC Virtual Clinic, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Maria Christine ThurnheerDepartment of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Pascale Della SantaLes Toises, Sion, Switzerland.
Oliver SennInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Thomas GrischottInstitute of Primary Care, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Opioid agonist therapy (OAT) is the gold standard of treatment for opioid dependence and a cornerstone of Swiss drug policy. The Swiss Association for the Medical Management in Substance Users (SAMMSU) cohort was established to monitor health trends and improve care for OAT patients across Switzerland. Methods: Baseline and follow-up data collected from eight centres between 2014 and 2024 were analysed descriptively, including demographic and psychosocial characteristics, substance use history, prescribed OAT, co-medications, and somatic and psychiatric comorbidities. Results: During the study, the SAMMSU cohort included 1 502 participants. Median individual age at registration was 44.3 years, rising to a cohort median of 50.9 years by the end of 2024; 75.7 % of participants were male. Lifetime heroin use was reported by 97.2 %, with 73.2 % having a history of intravenous drug use. Ongoing illicit and intravenous drug use declined over time, while prescribed OAT shifted from methadone to long-acting morphine and diacetylmorphine. The most prevalent lifetime somatic comorbidities were hepatitis C (56.5 %), (pre)hypertension (18.6 %), musculoskeletal disorders (13.8 %), and needle abscesses (13.7 %). Psychiatric disorders - primarily affective (34.8 %), personality (23.2 %), and anxiety disorders (18.0 %) - contributed to multimorbidity and a high prevalence of polypharmacy (49.2 %). There were 120 deaths, mainly from malignancy, overdose, and liver failure, with a median age at death of 51.6 years. Conclusion: SAMMSU cohort trends corroborate the effectiveness of OAT in reducing illicit drug use and underscore the need for OAT services to evolve from an addiction-focused model to comprehensive chronic care for an ageing and highly vulnerable population.

Indexed as

Cohort descriptionEpidemiologyOpioid agonist treatmentOpioid use disorderSwitzerland

Identifiers

PMID41550419
PMCPMC12807839

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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.