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The Southern Humboldt Community Health District (SoHum Health) is still looking for participants for an upcoming clinical trial studying the use of buprenorphine in adults with opioid use disorder. The study is specifically geared toward people struggling with opioid addiction in rural communities, where access to health care and treatment providers is often scarce.

The trial is part of a nationwide study by the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network exploring the efficacy of two different forms of buprenorphine, a medication, or “partial agonist,” that binds to receptors in the brain to help users taper off of opioids without the intense effects of “full agonists” like heroin or methadone. The study is comparing two formulations of the medication: a once-a-month, long-acting injection and a daily sublingual film that dissolves under the tongue.

Lexi Stowe, a project coordinator for SoHum Health, told the Outpost that the researchers leading the clinical trial are studying seven remote communities, including Southern Humboldt, to determine which form of the medication has the best success rate among rural residents.

“In rural areas, it’s a lot less likely for patients to seek care for opioid use disorder due to a number of factors, including access to health care and being able to get into the clinic and get the care that you need,” Stowe said. “I know that we have multiple patients who commute over 20 minutes just to see the doctor, sometimes even more. The idea is, if people have to come in for fewer appointments, it’s saving time and could potentially be more effective because [there are] fewer appointments.”

Participants in the 14-week trial must be 18 years or older and in good general health, meet diagnostic criteria for opioid use disorder and be willing to be randomly assigned one of the two medications. During the screening process, a physician will go over the patient’s medical history and assess potential safety risks in their participation. 

“After you go through all of those steps, you get all the information, you feel like you’re confident and you know everything there is to know about the trial, then we make sure both your mental and physical health is a good fit for the trial as well,” Stowe said. “Then you get to the point of randomization, where you’re randomized to either the sublingual or the extended-release buprenorphine … .”

While the trial is geared toward people living in Southern Humboldt, Stowe said anyone willing to make the trek to Garberville for appointments will be considered. 

“As long as you can make the appointments, anybody and everybody’s welcome,” she said. “You have two appointments in the first two weeks, and then they go to monthly appointments. If you feel like you need more appointments for whatever reason, or if you’re concerned about something, I can just get a phone call from them, and we can set up an appointment sooner if needed.”

The deadline to apply for the trial is Friday, July 25. More information can be found in the flyer below.

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