BUPRENORPHINE AS A PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR COCAINE ABUSE - A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE

The partial mu-opiate agonist, buprenorphine, is the subject of recent evaluation as a potential pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence. Thi s paper reviews the extant preclinical and clinical evidence of bupren orphine effectiveness in treating cocaine abuse, including data from o ur large methadone comparison trial and a smaller buprenorphine dose r anging study. Although buprenorphine appears to reduce cocaine self-ad ministration in studies of non-opiate dependent animals, clinical evid ence for the same response in opiate addicts abusing cocaine has not b een demonstrated. Further efficacy trials should await preclinical dem onstrations of effectiveness in samples with opiate and cocaine exposu re.