UNODC through its regional project on prevention of transmission of HIV among drug users, implemented interventions on Oral Substitution Therapy - Buprenorphine (OSB) in two institutional and three community based settings in
India. After a comprehensive conceptual-cum-practical training on OSB, interventions were carried out, in collaboration with Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) under the guidance and technical support from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), one of the premier institutes of medical education in the South Asian region. At the end of 9-month follow-up, the key findings of OSB intervention were:
High retention rate: 68%
Low current mean dosage: 3.8 mg
Significant reduction in drug use (27.8 days/month at baseline to 2.1 days/month at follow-up), injecting drug use (52.8% at baseline to 28.5% at follow-up), high risk injecting behaviour (among those injecting) and high risk sexual behaviour
Improvement in WHO Quality of Life and Addiction Severity Index Scores
Scale up: UNODC scaled-up OSB interventions to 15 sites in India and is in the process of initiating OST (Buprenorphine/Methadone) interventions in other member countries of the region.
Oral Substitution transition plan: National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India is preparing a transition plan for a possible take over of the OST interventions in India as part of the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) III, including those supported by the project.
