Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41800567›Full record

ArticleDrug and alcohol review2026

Trends in Opioid Agonist Treatment for Opioid Dependence During Pregnancy: A Population-Based Study in New South Wales 2005-2021.

Duong Thuy Tran, Bianca Varney, Nicola Jones, Chrianna Bharat, Jonathan Brett, Ju-Lee Oei, Sallie-Anne Pearson, Louisa Degenhardt, Alys Havard

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Drug and alcohol review, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. 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

9 authors.

Duong Thuy TranNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1454-9462
Bianca VarneyNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0611-6018
Nicola JonesNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5742-4598
Chrianna BharatNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-9778-0386
Jonathan BrettMedicines Intelligence Research Program, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-3065-7495
Ju-Lee OeiSchool of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-7799-3771
Sallie-Anne PearsonMedicines Intelligence Research Program, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7137-6855
Louisa DegenhardtNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8513-2218
Alys HavardNational Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-6563-8804

Funding

TRANSFORM - Transforming the evidence base on estimating prevalence of opioid use disorder and expanded access to interventions to prevent drug related deaths: an international data linkage studyR01DA059822 · NIDA · UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES · PI Joshua Adam Barocas, Louisa Degenhardt · 2024 to 2026
$2.3M
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 1135991Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 1150078Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 1196560Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 1196900Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 2010778Australian National Health and Medical Research Council 2016825Centre for Health Record LinkageMinistry of HealthNational Drug and Alcohol Research CentreNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA059822NIH HHS R01DA144740UNSW Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addiction Theme 2023 Seed grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe objective of this study was to examine trends in opioid agonist treatment (OAT) during pregnancy for opioid dependence, by OAT type (methadone, buprenorphine) and during-pregnancy OAT type change.

methodsData linkage study. The cohort included pregnancies resulting in childbirth among people who received OAT within 4 years prior to birth, New South Wales, 1 January 2005-31 December 2021. We calculated the prevalence of OAT during pregnancy by OAT type and year of birth; prevalence rate ratios (PRR) and proportions experiencing OAT type change during pregnancy.

resultsThe cohort included 5212 childbirths among 3303 people. OAT was received in 4102 (78.7%) pregnancies. The annual prevalence of OAT during pregnancy was 77.2% in 2005, 86.2% in 2012 and 63.2% in 2021 (PRR 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.99-1.00). Between 2005 and 2021, methadone use during pregnancy decreased from 70.9% to 37.4% (PRR 0.97; 95% CI 0.96-0.98) while buprenorphine use increased from 12.3% to 29.3% (PRR 1.07; 95% CI 1.06-1.08). Overall, changes in OAT type occurred in 226 pregnancies (5.5%). Among 971 pregnancies initially on buprenorphine, methadone was later used among 193, with this proportion decreasing over time. Of the 3131 pregnancies initially on methadone, buprenorphine was later used among only 33. DISCUSSION AND

conclusionsThree in four people in the cohort received OAT during pregnancy, with no statistically significant change in annual prevalence over the 2005-2021 period. Given prior evidence indicating higher rates of treatment discontinuation with buprenorphine versus methadone, the increased buprenorphine use during pregnancy highlights the need for targeted strategies to support treatment retention.

Indexed as

Analgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineMethadoneOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersPregnancy ComplicationsAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansNew South WalesPregnancyPrevalenceYoung AdultAnalgesics, OpioidBuprenorphineMethadonebuprenorphinemedicine use during pregnancymethadoneopioid dependence

Identifiers

PMID41800567
PMCPMC12969545

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Registered trials

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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.