Iteration is not solving the opioid crisis, it's time for transformation

Opioid use disorder (OUD) produces exceedingly high rates of morbidity and mortality in the United States and throughout the world. Almost 90% of persons qualifying for treatment do not enter treatment and 72% of those who initiate treatment leave within 60 days. This Perspective posits that over the past decade our OUD treatment system has produced only small iterative gains in treatment access because, in part, it is founded in a series of top-down regulatory policies dating back more than 100 years. These policies prioritized restricting persons with OUD from having access to opioid agonists over empirical discovery of treatment best practice. It further suggests that for persons who are not already responding positively to our existing treatments, we may need to fundamentally transform care to enact true, meaningful change. Four potential considerations are outlined: expanding beyond long-acting opioids for treatment, embracing safe use as a viable therapeutic target, ending closed medication distribution systems, and partnering with our patients. The overarching aim of this discussion is to motivate broader thinking about new solutions for the patients for whom the existing strategies are not working and who may benefit from more transformative approaches. Though efforts to-date to expand existing treatment systems and find new ways to promote existing MOUDs have been important, these efforts have represented iterative changes. For us to meet our goal of substantially reducing opioid-related harms, it may be time to consider strategies that represent true transformation.