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Despite evidence that medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), namely methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, provided at the point of incarceration improve the well-being of the individual and the public, financial and administrative limitations in jail/prison healthcare often serve as barriers to this recommended first-line treatment for OUD. In fact, evidence indicates that more than 80% […]

Methods to address missingness and sampling uncertainty in an economic evaluation are not independent of one another. Determining the most appropriate combination of methods poses unique statistical and practical challenges for researchers, requiring careful consideration of the missing data mechanism, computation resources, and a variety of other potential factors such as the proportion of missingness […]

Extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) administered to persons with opioid use disorder before release from incarceration, may provide value for multiple stakeholders and bridge a well-known treatment gap for this vulnerable population. Compared to the general population, individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) who are involved with the criminal-legal system have a much higher risk of a […]

The development of direct-acting antivirals transformed hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy, allowing patients to experience fewer side effects and non-specialist providers to prescribe HCV treatment with more ease. Despite these advances, existing social and structural barriers, such as stigma and accessibility of medical care, restrict access to effective HCV treatment for people who use drugs […]

Naltrexone and buprenorphine are two effective medications for opioid use disorder (OUD). Naltrexone, which is typically given as a monthly extended-release injection (XR-NTX), and daily oral buprenorphine, which is typically combined with naloxone (BUP-NX), are prescribed in outpatient or office-based medical settings. XR-NTX patients, however, need to complete detoxification before starting treatment. Results from a […]

In this systematic review, researchers affiliated with the Center for Health Economics of Treatment Interventions for Substance Use Disorder, HCV, and HIV (CHERISH) including CHERISH staff Erica Onuoha and Jared Leff; CHERISH investigators Bruce R. Schackman, Kathryn E. McCollister, and Sean M. Murphy; and CHERISH Advisory Board member Daniel Polsky, identified new studies supporting buprenorphine and methadone as economically advantageous medications for […]

The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, considers data harmonization in substance use disorder, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) research a high-priority. Data harmonization allows investigators to synthesize data across independent studies and promote more rigorous and comparable analyses of an intervention, program, or policy. Harmonizing data also ensures that economic […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way individuals access the healthcare system. For example, recent studies suggest high-risk populations may be foregoing necessary care out of fear of entering healthcare facilities and contracting the virus. A new study by Sean Murphy, PhD, associate professor of population health sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the methodology core […]

According to a new study, the total annual cost of opioid use disorder (OUD) to U.S. society in 2018 was $786.8 billion. This figure includes costs associated with excess healthcare expenditures, criminal justice resources, lost workplace and home productivity, and premature mortality. Of the $786.8 billion, $89.1 billion was attributed to additional healthcare expenditures. The study […]

HIV outbreaks in Indiana, West Virginia, and Massachusetts have highlighted the need to rapidly identify and treat HIV infections among people who use drugs and their social networks in order to prevent disease transmission. Many state and local health departments have expanded their fourth generation laboratory-based HIV testing capacity that allows them to identify acute […]

People who use drugs (PWUD) are among the most vulnerable populations for COVID-19. They have increased prevalence of pre-existing co-morbidities that may increase their risk of a negative outcome following COVID-19 exposure, for example respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to smoking cigarettes, marijuana, or other substances. Syringe service programs (SSPs) not only provide sterile injection equipment […]

Every day, we hear about the staggering toll of the opioid overdose crisis. This is particularly salient in Philadelphia, which has one of the highest overdose death rates among major U.S. cities. Despite effective medications for opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine and methadone, few people receive treatment. The ongoing challenge is to expand access to these lifesaving treatments […]