Differential Effects of Buprenorphine/Naloxone Vs. Methadone on Quality of Life Over Time: A Subset of The BRAVO Study (Buprenorphine to Improve HIV Care Engagement and Outcomes: A Randomized Trial)

Health-related Quality of Life (QoL) is generally poorer in individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) in comparison with those suffering from other chronic diseases. Little is known about the difference each buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NX) or methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) may make in the QoL for the HIV-infected people with OUD who are new to HIV care. The objective of this study is to evaluate the difference in the impact that BUP/NX and MMT treatment delivery models make on the QoL of the HIV-infected participants with OUD in Vietnam. This study was a subset of the BRAVO study, buprenorphine to improve HIV care engagement and outcomes: a randomized trial. This study analyzed the QoL data from 254 participants (121 participants belonging to the BUP/NX group), excluding 30 due to lack of follow-up assessments, based on EUROQOL’s EQ-5D instrument standards. Examination of the 5-level Likert scale of the five dimensions of mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression over 12 months suggests both treatment delivery models tend to improve QoL for the patients of such cohort, but not in all dimensions. Self-care and activity level were two of the dimensions which did not seem affected by either of the treatment delivery models. And the BUP/NX randomized group demonstrated more favorable improvements in the mobility and pain dimensions while anxiety levels were improved almost equally in both groups