As the opioid epidemic continues to impact the province, Penticton has been chosen to trial a new treatment method.
Medical Arts Health Research Group announced Nov. 6 that the Okanagan community would be one of the sites for the international clinical trial for adults in early recovery from opioid use disorder.
For people already taking buprenorphine, which serves as an opioid replacement, the study will look at whether adding an investigational medication will help reduce usage in their early recovery stages.
Eligibility is determined by specific medical criteria and full study details are shared with potential participants through the informed consent process.
Adults in the Penticton and South Okanagan area currently taking Suboxone who would like to learn more can contact the study team confidentially at (888) 490-4320 or visit www.healthresearch.ca.
The participants will keep their current treatment and prescriber throughout the study, which is being conducted under Health Canada and research ethics oversight.
At the local level, it is being led by Dr. Arlin Munro and Dr. Kyle Stevens, two physicians focused on addiction medicine.
“People who are struggling with substance use are often left out of research, especially in smaller communities like ours,” said Dr. Arlin Munro, principal investigator for the study in Penticton. “Our patients shouldn’t have to travel to Vancouver to access new treatment options or contribute to research that could help others. I’m glad we can bring this study to Penticton so people can take part close to home, with the support of their own care team.”
Penticton joins Kamloops as one of the few Canadian communities chosen to participate in the international study.
“When Kamloops joined this study, we heard from people across the Interior asking when it would come closer to them. Penticton is part of that answer,” said Adam Watson, clinical operations lead at Medical Arts Health Research Group. “Communities like ours have carried a heavy share of this crisis, and we should have a hand in the research that helps people through it.”
Medical Arts Research has been deeply involved in other research in the region, including through its ongoing Memory Cafe program that began in Keremeos and has expanded to the South Okanagan.