Implants for all? –

June 6, 2019 – But less lofty issues are also at play. Dr. O’Neil is competing with an American company, BioCorRx — which once operated under a similar  name as his clinic, Fresh Start — to introduce a naltrexone implant in the United States. In the process, Dr. O’Neil has courted publicity for his invention, which he says is superior and lasts longer … This year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded Columbia University $6.8 million over the next two years to begin clinical trials of the implant, with the promise of an additional $13.9 million if all goes well. Dr. Adam Bisaga, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center who is leading the trial, said it was crucial to combat the ambivalence of many opioid users toward taking medication to ease their addiction. “If we have a way of targeting the ambivalence — and the way you do that is long-acting preparation — that will be a major advance,” he said. “In the U.S., it’s pretty clear that it’s an acceptable and viable treatment.”

Full Story @ NYTimes.com