Buprenorphine — treatment, misuse and prescription practices

Since the mid-1990s buprenorphine has increasingly become available in Europe as an alternative to methadone for the treatment of opiate dependence. In this Selected issue, the reasons why clinicians are attracted to this drug, as well as the costs and benefits of buprenorphine in comparison with other treatment options, are explored in detail, and, for the first time, the increasing popularity of buprenorphine for the treatment of opiate dependence in many European countries is documented.