Millennium Research Institute Urine Drug Testing Study Published In Journal Of Opioid Management
Results demonstrate limits of immunoassay compared to laboratory-based testing in addiction treatment and risk management
SAN DIEGO, March 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Millennium Research Institute (MRI), the non-profit national research center of Millennium Health, today announced that The Journal of Opioid Management published results from a study about the role of urine drug testing (UDT) in addiction treatment. The study published in tandem with an editorial written by principal investigator Dr. Steven Passik of Millennium Research Institute. Passik will also be presenting preliminary analysis from a survey of pain patients to gauge the effects of the rescheduling of hydrocodone at the 31st Annual Meeting for the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) in National Harbor, Md. on March 20.
The article, "Trends in drug use from urine drug testing of addiction treatment clients," presents results from an investigation into the role of UDT in monitoring progress in the treatment of drug abuse and addiction, in order to determine the clinical implications of different types of tests. The researchers examined 4,299 random samples from multiple national addiction treatment and recovery programs, and compared clinical results from urine drug tests using immunoassay (IA) cut-off levels versus liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The comparison revealed shortcomings in immunoassay testing in the form of clinical false positive and false negative results.
In 51.5 percent of samples, the LC-MS/MS testing revealed the presence of unreported prescription medications or illicit drugs. In the clinical setting, this would mean clinicians may miss opportunities to intervene when slips and relapses occur. The lower cut-off levels for LC-MS/MS provide health care practitioners with an objective method for monitoring patients while also achieving the goal of identifying patients who may be misusing drugs.
Also published was, "FDA/DEA/PDMP/UDT: Alphabet soup or sensible and integrated risk management?" an editorial, written by Steven Passik, PhD, and Kenneth Kirsh, PhD, of the Millennium Research Institute, and Robert Twillman, PhD, of the American Academy of Pain Management, that examined both UDT and prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) as complementary tactics in managing the risks of prescribing controlled substances, such as opioids. It concludes that, while PDMPs are important, PDMPs alone will not help clinicians manage aberrant drug behavior without the additional insights provided with UDT. The editorial suggests that thoughtful integration of both data from UDT and PDMPs is significant in supplying clinicians with separate and complementary data to help make pain management safer for patients and their communities.
"Prescription drug abuse is a problem that affects every demographic in the United States. With the problem reaching epidemic levels, the need for effective and efficient tools for managing risk and treating addiction is critical," said Passik. "A multi-faceted approach is necessary and clinicians should understand the limitations of immunoassay UDT, and their need for meaningful and accurate information to treat and monitor their patients in recovery from addiction."
Dr. Passik will be available for comment at AAPM on March 20, where he will be presenting preliminary analysis from a survey of pain patients to gauge the effects of the rescheduling of hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine in National Harbor, Md. The survey was conducted by the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA). The new Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulation rescheduling hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II effectively limits patients to a smaller maximum supply between doctor visits.
These regulations, enacted in October 2014, were intended to reduce criminal activity related to opioid medications, as well as deaths caused by drug overdoses.
About Millennium Research Institute
As part of the company's commitment to research and education, Millennium Health established the Millennium Research Institute as a national research center that conducts and disseminates original research, and collaborates with other researchers, to advance pain management and treatment outcomes through personalized medication intelligence designed to optimize the use of medications and adherence. The Institute maintains several national academic partnerships and supports collaborative research by accessing Millennium Health's unique and vast de-identified patient database. For more information, visit the website www.millenniumresearchinstitute.org.
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