Methadone alternative rolled out after Scottish prisons trial
- Published
People currently on a methadone programme have to take the drug daily
A drug used in a pilot scheme to help prisoners affected by heroin addiction is to be rolled out across Scotland.
Buvidal acts as a replacement treatment for methadone, with patients receiving an injection every 28 days instead of taking daily medication.
The government said it had allocated £4m for the project after "encouraging feedback" from a trial in jails.
Almost all patients and healthcare staff were said to have had high satisfaction levels.
Figures in December showed a record number of deaths from drug misuse in Scotland for the sixth year in row.
Two months prior to that, the Scottish government allocated £1.9m to support prisoners on prescribed Opiate Substitution Treatment (OST) to switch to the long-acting buprenorphine treatment.
The initiative aimed to reduce contacts during the pandemic and mitigate against potential staff shortages.
A report by the government's Health and Social Care Analysis Hub, external (HSCA) found the medicine had positive effects on patients' health and wellbeing, including a reduction in drug-seeking behaviour.
Scotland's drugs policy minister Angela Constance has pledged Buvidal will be "made available more widely in prisons and the wider community" following the government's £4m funding allocation.
She said: "During this pilot, this opioid substitute resulted in positive changes in people's emotional wellbeing, leading to positive lifestyle changes, such as people re-engaging with purposeful activities.
"This can enhance recovery by relieving anxiety, reducing stress, and increasing social interactions, while also fostering feelings of hope and optimism."
Local services
Ms Constance said the pilot had been "a good experience for almost everyone involved".
The minister added that a further £100m would be allocated over the next five years "to improve and increase residential rehabilitation, to support recovery and to reduce the pressure on local services".
The Buvidal injection is given once a month
Following the announcement of the latest drugs deaths statistics in December, MSP Joe FitzPatrick lost his job as public health minister.
He was replaced by Ms Constance, who took on the new role of full-time drugs minister.
In January this year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced £250m in extra funding over five years to tackle the rising number of fatalities.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland has welcomed the Scottish government's decision to roll out Buvidal to the wider community.
It said the retention of patients receiving the treatment had been "very high" and "improvements in health and quality of life" were reflected.
National Prisons Pharmacy Adviser Tom Byrne said it was hoped the rollout would be "a significant development" in supporting patient-centred care "and contribute to a reduction in drug related deaths".