Increasing methadone accessibility cuts HIV transmission

Injection drug users who were not prescribed methadone were almost four times more likely to become HIV-positive, found the study, published in the medical journal The Lancet HIV.

Methadone treatment prevents withdrawal from opioids such as heroin.

The findings provide critical support for British Columbia's methadone maintenance program, which is currently being reviewed by the provincial government, the study's lead author said.

"If you were on medication for your diabetes but you had to travel across your city to get your medication every day from a specialty clinic, and not go to your pharmacy around the corner, you'd be significantly less likely to go," said Dr. Keith Ahamad, with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

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