Despite strong evidence that medication is the most effective treatment for opioid use disorder, adolescents and most adults who might benefit from treatment report no medication use, according to a new study.

Until now, national studies on medication for opioid use disorder (OUD) were lacking and little was known about individual-level characteristics. Among those who may have needed treatment for their opioid use, only 28% received medication for OUD.

The findings in JAMA Network Open, reveal critical gaps in treatment and use of medication for opioid use disorder—such as methadone, buprenorphine, or naltrexone—and highlight the need for increased efforts to address barriers to care.

Starting in 2020, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act mandated that Medicaid cover all three US Food and Drug Administration–approved medications for OUD, including methadone in certified opioid treatment programs.

“Policies that expand insurance coverage for these medications are an important population-level strategy to potentially increase access to effective opioid use disorder treatment,” says senior author Hillary Samples, an assistant professor at the Rutgers University School of Public Health.

The study findings are based on data from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the US. Participants were community-based respondents, excluding people institutionalized or homeless and not in shelters.

The researchers identified adolescents and adults who might benefit from medication for OUD, including those who met criteria for a past-year opioid use disorder and those reporting past-year OUD treatment with medication or in specialty treatment settings.

The data showed that 57% received no treatment for the disorder, and 15% received only services without medication. Notably, adolescents (aged 12-17 years) did not receive medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the past year and only 13% of adults 50 years and older received medication for the disorder.

Among adults, the likelihood of past-year MOUD receipt compared to no treatment was also lower for people ages 50 years or older versus for those 18 to 25 years of age.

Read the full article about opioid medication access by Nicole Swenarton at Futurity.