Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42446876›Full record

Observational studyJAMA network open2026

Buprenorphine-Naloxone vs Extended-Release Naltrexone Following Opioid Withdrawal Treatment.

Heather E Hsu, Sara Lodi, Shapei Yan, Benjamin J Bovell-Ammon, Paul J Christine, Alyssa S Tilhou, Dana Bernson, Patricia Novo, Joshua D Lee, John Rotrosen and 3 more

Abstract readObservational StudyComparative Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in JAMA network open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

13 authors.

Heather E HsuDepartment of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Sara LodiDepartment of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Shapei YanClinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Benjamin J Bovell-AmmonDepartment of Healthcare Delivery and Population Sciences, UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate and Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, Massachusetts.
Paul J ChristineDivision of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora.
Alyssa S TilhouDepartment of Family Medicine, Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Dana BernsonOffice of Population Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston.
Patricia NovoDepartment of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Joshua D LeeDepartment of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
John RotrosenDepartment of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York.
Jane M LiebschutzDivision of General Internal Medicine, Center for Research on Health Care, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Alexander Y WalleyClinical Addiction Research and Education Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center and Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Marc R LarochelleSection of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.

Funding

MOUD Comparative Effectiveness StudyR01DA054268 · NIDA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI LAROCHELLE, MARC · 2021 to 2025
$2.7M
Improving value-based healthcare delivery for opioid use disorderK01DA054328 · NIDA · BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER · PI HSU, HEATHER · 2021 to 2025
$897k
NIDA NIH HHS K01 DA054328NIDA NIH HHS R01 DA054268
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Importance: Buprenorphine-naloxone and extended-release (XR) naltrexone are both efficacious medications for opioid use disorder that reduce unregulated opioid use and improve opioid cravings and treatment retention. While prior comparative effectiveness studies demonstrated superiority of buprenorphine-naloxone over XR naltrexone for relapse and treatment retention, the comparative effectiveness of both treatments for all-cause mortality and nonfatal opioid overdose outcomes has not been rigorously tested. Objective: To compare the effectiveness of buprenorphine-naloxone vs XR naltrexone after medically managed opioid withdrawal (MMOW) treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: This observational comparative effectiveness study using a target trial emulation framework leveraged individually linked administrative data from the Massachusetts Public Health Data Warehouse to emulate the protocol of the Extended-Release Naltrexone vs Buprenorphine for Opioid Treatment randomized clinical trial. Participants included adults 18 years or older who were discharged from MMOW in Massachusetts between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2018. Individuals could meet eligibility criteria more than once. Data were analyzed from December 22, 2023, to January 30, 2025. Exposures: Initiation of buprenorphine-naloxone or XR naltrexone therapy within 28 days of MMOW discharge. Main Outcomes and Measures: Estimated 24-week cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality and nonfatal opioid overdose using inverse probability weighting to adjust for baseline and time-varying confounding. Results: A total of 36 752 unique individuals who met eligibility criteria were identified and contributed 106 052 MMOW discharge episodes; 79 089 (74.6%) episodes were among individuals who were male and 44 463 (42.1%) were among individuals aged 18 to 29 years. By 28 days after MMOW discharge, initiation of buprenorphine-naloxone was observed among 14 194 discharge episodes (13.4%) and initiation of XR naltrexone was observed among 4734 (4.5%) episodes. The adjusted 24-week cumulative incidence of all-cause mortality after MMOW discharge was 1.4% (95% CI, 1.2%-1.7%) for buprenorphine-naloxone and 1.4% (95% CI, 1.1%-1.8%) for XR naltrexone, corresponding to a risk difference of 0.0 percentage points (pp) (95% CI, -0.4 to 0.4 pp). The adjusted 24-week cumulative incidence of nonfatal opioid overdose after MMOW discharge was 11.6% (95% CI, 10.8%-12.3%) for buprenorphine-naloxone and 13.9% (95% CI, 12.9%-15.0%) for XR naltrexone, corresponding to a risk difference of 2.3 pp (95% CI, 1.2-3.6 pp). Conclusions and Relevance: In this comparative effectiveness study of buprenorphine-naloxone vs XR naltrexone, initiating buprenorphine-naloxone after MMOW discharge was associated with a lower risk of nonfatal opioid overdose at 24 weeks than initiating XR naltrexone, but a similar risk of all-cause mortality.

Indexed as

Buprenorphine, Naloxone Drug CombinationNaltrexoneNarcotic AntagonistsOpiate Substitution TreatmentOpioid-Related DisordersSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeAdultComparative Effectiveness ResearchDelayed-Action PreparationsFemaleHumansMaleMassachusettsMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeBuprenorphine, Naloxone Drug CombinationDelayed-Action PreparationsNaltrexoneNarcotic Antagonists

Identifiers

PMID42446876
PMCPMC13370310

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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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.