Online workshop: “Guideline on Buprenorphine-to-Methadone Transition”

On the morning of August 31, 2022, the Vietnam International Technology Transfer Center (V-ITTC) – Hanoi Medical University in collaboration with the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control – Ministry of Health successfully organized an online workshop: “Guideline on Buprenorphine-to-Methadone Transition”.

The meeting was joined by representatives from the Department of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of 8 provinces and cities that piloted the buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder program, staff from medical centers and drug-dispensing points, and Professor Gavin Bart from the University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA. Dr. Bart is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota and director of the division of Addiction Medicine at Hennepin Healthcare. Besides his scientific achievements in the addiction treatment field in the United States, Dr. Bart has cooperated in conducting research and provided technical support for the Methadone treatment program in Vietnam from the very beginning.

In the context where the Ministry of Health is temporarily suspending the implementation of Buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder program to evaluate its impact and propose the implementation plan in the next phase, The objective of the online workshop was to exchange experiences concerning Buprenorphine-to-Methadone Transition between specialists and staff working at treatment facilities and drug dispensing facilities implementing Buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder at many cities and provinces across the country.

The online workshop focused on the following main topics:

• Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder
• Buprenorphine-to-Methadone Transition
• Practical experiences and medical precautions in Buprenorphine-to-Methadone Transition

Through the online workshop, the Vietnam International Technology Transfer Center (V-ITTC) hoped to have provided the participants with useful knowledge concerning Buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder and experiences of working with patients from specialists and doctors.