Extended-Release Buprenorphine vs. Sublingual Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder

August 5, 2026 updated by: Frances R Levin

Randomized Controlled Trial of Extended-Release Buprenorphine vs. Sublingual Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Patients Using Fentanyl

The study is 12-week, randomized, open-label study comparing injectable extended-release buprenorphine (Sublocade) to standard therapy (sublingual buprenorphine), to see if Sublocade will be more helpful in treating opiate use for individuals testing positive for fentanyl and related high potency drugs (HPSO). Those receiving Sublocade will have it administered monthly and dosing will be according to the FDA prescribing instructions of 300mg for the first and second dose and 100mg for the third. Individuals receiving sublingual buprenorphine will receive standard dosing for the entire treatment trial. Participants will be asked to attend the clinic for the first 4 days during week 1 and twice weekly for the remainder of the trial.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Outpatients seeking treatment for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) will be screened, and those eligible and consenting will be randomized (n=40) to either buprenorphine extended-release (BXR, Sublocade) or sublingual buprenorphine (BSL). Randomization will occur in a 1:1 ratio immediately prior to starting the induction process. The primary hypothesis is that BXR treatment will significantly reduce opioid use as compared to BSL. This is a 12 week outpatient trial during which participants will be asked to come into the clinic for the first 4 days of week 1 and then twice weekly there after.

For buprenorphine to be safely administered, participants must be in withdrawal from opioids. Individuals will be instructed to abstain from opioids starting at consent and will usually begin buprenorphine medication within 24 hours of consent. Because HPSO use may lead to a delayed onset of opioid withdrawal syndrome, the first day that buprenorphine is administered may not be up to three days after a participants last opioid use. Whichever day the first dose of BSL is administered will be considered the first day of the induction.

BXR Injection group. There are two dosing schemes for the BXR induction as outlined below:

a) If on any day of the buprenorphine induction a participant demonstrates a high tolerance to buprenorphine by tolerating 24 mg buprenorphine SL in one day, BXR 300 mg may be administered on that study day. This includes participants who on the first day of SL buprenorphine administration tolerate 24 mg. b) If a patient is able to tolerate 16 mg of buprenorphine SL for 2 consecutive days of the induction, BXR 300 mg will be given on the second consecutive day of receiving buprenorphine SL 16 mg. The second injection of BXR 300 mg will be administered approximately 28 days later. The third BXR injection will occur approximately 28 days subsequent to the second injection at a dose of 100 mg.

Maintenance BSL treatment group: Once a participant is able to be stabilized on 16 mg to 24 mg per day during induction they will continue to receive buprenorphine in doses up to 24 mg administered once daily. Dose adjustments for craving/withdrawal/adverse effects will be made by the research psychiatrist. Medication will be dispensed on a weekly basis.

For both study arms participants will be given comfort medications to help manage their withdrawal for the first two weeks of the treatment study as needed. Comfort medications prescribed will be clonidine, clonazepam, prochlorperazine, and zolpidem.

If a participant is not in adequate withdrawal to be able to start sublingual buprenorphine (i.e., they continue to use once enrolled), they will have up to 10 days to initiate the induction for either arm of the study. If a participant is unable to start sublingual buprenorphine within 10 days of signing consent they will be considered an induction fail and will be provided referrals for other treatment options noted in the discontinuation section of the protocol.

At each visit, patients will be seen by the Research Nurse and Research Assistant for assessment of vital signs, side effects and adverse events, collection of urine for toxicology, and research assessments. The research psychiatrist will conduct weekly assessments of the psychiatric and medical status of the study participants. All participants will have a manual-guided supportive behavioral treatment session with the research psychiatrist each week. This psychosocial intervention facilitates compliance with study medication and other study procedures, promotes abstinence from opioids and other substances.

Post-study Assessments and Clinical Follow up: At week 12 (or earlier if the patient is discontinued from the study for clinical reasons or drops out) participants will be provided with clinical referrals for continuation of treatment. Post-study participants will be seen weekly for up to 4 weeks while continuing treatment with buprenorphine. Referrals will be arranged during this period for patients to continue buprenorphine or other appropriate treatment at community-based treatment programs.

This study was subject to an NIH and OHRP-mandated human subjects research suspension that included a pause of human subjects research as of June 23, 2023.

Study received a best interest continuation for participants enrolled and the last participant completed on 08/08/2023 IO removed pause on 02/18/2026 Received IRB approval to lift suspension 03/10/2026 NYSPI institutional approval to proceed with research and data analysis was granted on 03/19/2026

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
33

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10019
        • Nyspi-Stars

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

14 years to 61 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals between the age of 18-65
  • Voluntarily seeking treatment for opioid use
  • Meets current DSM-5 criteria for Opioid Use Disorder as a primary diagnosis, with at least moderate severity
  • Test positive for high potent synthetic opioids (HPSO) use
  • Able to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Meets DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorder other than opioid as the primary diagnosis
  • Having a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis that might interfere with participation or make participation hazardous, such as an active psychotic disorder or current suicide risk
  • Methadone maintenance treatment within the past 30 days
  • Buprenorphine maintenance treatment within the past 30 days
  • Known history of allergy, intolerance, or hypersensitivity to candidate medication (buprenorphine)
  • Pregnancy, lactation, or failure to use adequate contraceptive methods in female patients; male participants are required to use adequate forms of birth control as the exposure to sublocade on sperm and subsequent fetal development are not known
  • Unstable medical conditions, which might make participation hazardous such as uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure >150/100), acute hepatitis, uncontrolled diabetes, or elevated liver function tests (AST and ALT >3 times the upper limit of normal
  • Legally mandated to substance use disorder treatment
  • Current physiological dependence on alcohol or sedative-hypnotics that would require a medically supervised detoxification-other substance use diagnoses are not exclusionary
  • Individuals, who in the clinicians judgment, have a history of failed trial of buprenorphine or sublocade (e.g., history of severe opioid intoxication or overdoses despite adequate adherence to buprenorphine or sublocade), or other features of the history strongly suggest the patient is not a good candidate for outpatient treatment with buprenorphine.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: extended-release buprenorphine (BXR)
Three extended-release buprenorphine (BXR) injections to be administered roughly 28 days apart. The first and second injection will be 300 mg and the third will be 100 mg.
Drug: extended-release buprenorphine (BXR)
Three monthly injections will be provided during the course of the 12 week trial.
Other Names:
  • Sublocade
Active Comparator: sublingual buprenorphine (BSL)
sublingual buprenorphine (BSL) up to 24 mg will be administered once daily for 12 weeks or length of study participation.
Drug: sublingual buprenorphine (BSL)
On a weekly basis patients will be provided with sublingual buprenorphine to take up to 24 mg daily.
Other Names:
  • buprenorphine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Days of Opioid Use Per Week Over Time
Time Frame: up to 12 weeks
Change was calculated as the number of days of opioid use per week over time.
up to 12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Frances R Levin

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: frances r levin, md, New York State Psychiatric Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 15, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 8, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 8, 2023

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 16, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 20, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 27, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 5, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 7963
  • R21DA049037 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie the results published in this report (after de-identification) (text, tables, figures)

IPD Sharing Time Frame

beginning twelve months and ending 5 years after article publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

to researcher who provides a methodologically sound proposal to achieve aims in approved proposal

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP
  • ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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