Drug Free Australia is concerned that the Medical Journal of Australia has published a report on Naltrexone Implants which has missed out on critical data from the successful work done in WA.

‘We have spoken to Dr George O’Neill, who operates a successful clinic in Perth and he has indicated that the report lacks the scientific rigour usually found in such studies – for example it has set no denominators’, said Jo Baxter, DFA’s Executive Officer.  ‘Apparently it has only reported on issues faced on the Eastern Seaboard, one of the most critical is that which include the use of cheap imported products from China’.

In by-passing the most up-to-date research, Australia is missing out on a very valuable treatment option for those affected by drug addiction – while other countries reap the benefits.

Perth doctor, George O’Neill said today: ‘It is disappointing that the report has not presented all known evidence, particularly on the high success rate of naltrexone implants we use in the West. ‘We have been operating for 8 years in Perth and have successfully administered naltrexone implants to over 4500 patients. We work closely with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and report to them regularly. We also work well with the emergency departments of our local hospitals, so that clients receive a continuum of care and all the follow up necessary to help them heal from their heroin addiction.

We continually update our research and there is great interest in what we do from many overseas countries. In fact, we have just completed a double dummy, double blind study, with the results to be released at an International Symposium in Athens on 23 May’.

Research done by Professor Gary Hulse, from the University of WA’s School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, found that naltrexone implants unequivocally eliminated accidental overdoses and helped people move away from the narcotic network.

Dr Stuart Reece in Brisbane has also completed research into Naltrexone Implants. He reports that he recently studied  death rate after treatment. (So too has the Perth clinic (Hulse & Tait 2007 J Subs Abuse Treatment). Dr Reece said: “We both found that naltrexone implant therapy out-performed methadone . In our case the death rate was reduced to equivalent to that for the rest of the age matched Australian population.  This is a truly significant achievement in an opiate addicted population. This work has been submitted for publication in some of the world's leading medical journals."

In Perth, heroin deaths have fallen from 80+ per annum to between 10-20 over the past few years. Studies have shown the risk of opiate dependence in the first 6 months after a naltrexone implant is less than 5%. This critical ‘circuit breaker’ not only changes physiology and breaks the physical addiction, but it gives an opportunity for a person to deal with the issues that have been driving their addiction.

A ‘circuit breaker’ such as this is an extremely important factor in sustained rehabilitation’, says Ms Baxter  ‘Currently in Australia, the only pharmacotherapies that are funded by the Governments are for drugs such as methadone, which maintain and prolong the patient’s opiate dependence. It is time for Australian governments to review current practice with the view to funding what really works’.