Purpose

VA-BRAVE will determine whether a 28-day long-acting injectable sub-cutaneous formulation of buprenorphine at a target dose of 300mg is superior in retaining Veterans in opioid treatment and in sustaining opioid abstinence compared to the daily sublingual (under the tongue) buprenorphine formulation at a target dose of 4-32 mg (standard of care). This is an open-label, randomized, controlled trial including 952 Veterans with opioid use disorder (OUD) recruited over 7 years and followed actively for 52 weeks. There are a number of secondary objectives that will be studied as well and include: comorbid substance use, both non-fatal and fatal opioid overdose, HIV and Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) testing results and risk behaviors, incarceration, quality of life, psychiatric symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder, housing status, dental health and utilization, and cost-effectiveness.

Condition

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 18 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Has used opioids within 30 days prior to consent or within 30 days prior to entry into a supervised setting -- e.g., opioid use within the 30 days prior to recent (<30 days) incarceration, entry into a detoxification facility, or entry into an inpatient hospital setting - Have started or are in the process of starting on MOUD via clinical induction on SL-BUP/NLX - Meets DSM-5 criteria for moderate to severe OUD based on the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview - Referred to/seeking treatment for OUD and willing to accept "partial-agonist-based" therapy

Exclusion Criteria

  • Is a Veteran less than 18 years of age - For Veterans of childbearing potential (a premenopausal person capable of becoming pregnant), pregnancy, breastfeeding, and/or failure to practice an effective method of birth control - Failure to reach maintenance dose of 4mg - 32mg SL-BUP/NLX in 45 days or less. - Taking a form of prescribed maintenance MOUD (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine or XR-NTX) continuously >45 days prior to randomization - Has a history of significant adverse effects from buprenorphine and/or naloxone - Has experienced (within the past 2 weeks) recent suicidal or homicidal ideation that requires acute treatment or hospitalization. - Is unwilling or unable to provide consent - Meets criteria for current (past month) DSM-5 severe sedative hypnotic use disorder based on the MINI SHUD module - Anuria and/or dialysis - Current moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms with a risk of intubation or critical illness. - Medical, psychiatric, behavioral, or logistical condition which, in the judgement of the Local Site Investigator (LSI) or Co-Investigator (Co-I), requires a higher level of acute care and/or makes it unlikely the patient can participate in or complete the 52-week active phase of the study. - Is actively participating in an interventional clinical trial for which a waiver of dual-enrollment with CSP #2014 has not been obtained.

Study Design

Phase
Phase 4
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Participants are randomized 1:1 and assigned to receive at each 28-day research visit either: 1) a 28-day take-home supply of SL buprenorphine, prescribed at the clinically determined dose, or 2) injectable sub-cutaneous buprenorphine administered in the clinic (target dose = 300mg; 100mg dose may be used for those who cannot tolerate 300mg).
Primary Purpose
Treatment
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Sublingual Arm
The sublingual buprenorphine contains naloxone in a ratio of 4:1 and will be prescribed. Consistent with the SAMHSA guidelines, before SL-BUP/NLX is prescribed, participants will be evaluated for recent (within 24 hours) drug use and associated symptoms. The randomization dose will be determined based on the maintenance dose identified during the induction period, with a target dose of 4-32mg that is standard practice. While the target dose is 4-32mg, occasionally patients may prefer lower doses. SL-BUP/NLX will be prescribed at the randomization visit (28-day supply), then every 4 weeks through week 48.
  • Drug: Sublingual buprenorphine with naloxone
    The combination SL-containing buprenorphine contains naloxone in a ratio of 4:1 buprenorphine:naloxone. Participants will be given a 28-prescription at each 28-day visit through Week 48.
Experimental
Injectable Arm
Injectable buprenorphine consists of a depot injectable formulation in polymeric solution and releases buprenorphine over a 28-day (4-week) period by diffusion as the polymer biodegrades. The injection will be administered subcutaneously at each 28-day visit. The target dose is 300mg, there is the option to use 100mg dose. The final study dose of injectable buprenorphine will be given at Week 48.
  • Drug: Injectable subcutaneous buprenorphine
    Injectable buprenorphine consists of a depot injectable formulation in polymeric solution and releases buprenorphine over a 28-day (4-week) period by diffusion as the polymer biodegrades. The injection will be administered subcutaneously at each 28-day visit through Week 48.

Recruiting Locations

Phoenix VA Health Care System, Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix 5308655, Arizona 5551752 85012
Contact:
Kerri Grover, BSN
602-277-5551
kerri.grover@va.gov

VA Long Beach Healthcare System, Long Beach, CA
Long Beach 5367929, California 5332921 90822
Contact:
Ricardo Restrepo-Guzman, MD
ricardo.restrepo-guzman@va.gov

VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto 5380748, California 5332921 94304-1207
Contact:
Michael Ostacher, MD
michael.ostacher@va.gov

San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco 5391959, California 5332921 94121-1563
Contact:
Steven Batki, MD
steven.batki@va.gov

CERC (VISN1, West Haven, CT)
West Haven 4845419, Connecticut 4831725 06516-2770
Contact:
Brian Fuehrlein, MD
brian.fuehrlein@va.gov

Wilmington VA Medical Center, Wilmington, DE
Wilmington 4145381, Delaware 4142224 19805-4917
Contact:
Daniel J Lache
daniel.lache2@va.gov

Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, Pay Pines, FL
Bay Pines 4146855, Florida 4155751 33744-0000
Contact:
Maha Lahoud-Bladykas, MD
maha.lahoud-bladykas@va.gov

North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL
Gainesville 4156404, Florida 4155751 32608-1135
Contact:
Leonardo Rodriguez, MD
leonardo.rodriguez@va.gov

Dayton VA Medical Center, Dayton, OH
Dayton 4509884, Ohio 5165418 45428
Contact:
Bret Becker, MD
bret.becker@va.gov

Philadelphia MultiService Center, Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia 4560349, Pennsylvania 6254927 19106
Contact:
Kyle Kampman, MD
kyle.kampman@va.gov

VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX
Dallas 4684888, Texas 4736286 75216-7167
Contact:
Ashley Woolbert, MD
ashley.woolbert@va.gov

VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City 5780993, Utah 5549030 84148-0001
Contact:
Adam Gordon, MD
adam.gordon@va.gov

Hampton VA Medical Center, Hampton, VA
Hampton 4762894, Virginia 6254928 23667
Contact:
Ajay Manhapra, MD
757-722-9961
ajay.manhapra@va.gov

Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VA
Salem 4784112, Virginia 6254928 24153-6404
Contact:
Anjali Varma, MD
anjali.varma@va.gov

VA Puget Sound Health Care System Seattle Division, Seattle, WA
Seattle 5809844, Washington 5815135 98108-1532
Contact:
Justin Stamschror, MD
justin.stamschror@va.gov

Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee 5263045, Wisconsin 5279468 53295-0001
Contact:
Matthew Stohs, MD
matthew.stohs@va.gov

More Details

NCT ID
NCT04375033
Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development

Study Contact

Avron Spiro, PhD MS
(857) 364-2888
avron.spiro@va.gov

Detailed Description

CSP2014 is the first direct long-term comparison of monthly injectable versus daily SL buprenorphine. In addition to its impact on the care of Veterans, the results of VA-BRAVE will provide critical data to guide effective treatment of opioid use disorder throughout the United States. The CSP2014 study population is Veterans aged 18 years diagnosed with moderate to severe opioid use disorder (OUD) by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)-5th edition criteria. Veterans must be entering a new episode of opioid use disorder care prior to study start. There are two primary outcomes that address key Veterans Health Administration (VHA) clinical issues related to opioid use disorder treatment. The first is retention on protocol-directed medication treatment (sublingual or injectable sub-cutaneous buprenorphine). The second primary outcome is opioid abstinence using the systematic Timeline Followback method of self-report and corresponding urine toxicology screens. VA-BRAVE includes a 52-week intervention with multiple study visits and up to a 10-year passive follow-up for the duration of the study. Participants are inducted on daily SL buprenorphine using SAMHSA guidelines and dosed upward for a target dose of 4-32 mg for 1 day (should not exceed 45 days). Once target dose reached, participants are randomized 1:1 and assigned to receive at each 28-day research visit either: 1) a 28-day take-home supply of SL buprenorphine, prescribed at the clinically determined dose, or 2) injectable sub-cutaneous buprenorphine administered in the clinic (target dose = 300mg; 100mg dose may be used for those who cannot tolerate 300mg). Participants also receive Medication Management intervention at these visits. Study visits for all participants occur at Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4 post-randomization, and biweekly thereafter through Week 52. Self-reported abstinence and urine toxicology screens are obtained at biweekly visits. Following one year of active follow-up, administrative data will be used to follow participants for up to 10 years for early enrollees and up to 7 years for late enrollees. The recruitment expectation is 7 new participants per study year per study site. There will be up to 20 participating VA Medical Center sites.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.