title: Efficacy of Heroin-assisted Treatment In Belgium: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) can improve the condition of heroin addicts still using street heroin after a methadone treatment. In Belgium, a new trial compared the efficacy of a HAT to existing methadone maintenance treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this randomised controlled trial, HAT was limited to 12 months. Participants were assessed every 3 months. They were responders if they showed improvement on the level of street heroin use, health or criminal involvement.
  
  
  RESULTS
  74 participants were randomised in the trial. The experimental group (n = 36) counted 30% of responders more than the control group (n = 38) at each assessment point (p < 0.05), except at 12 months where the difference (11%) was no longer significant (p = 0.35). Still, after 12 months, participants in the experimental group reported significantly greater improvements (p < 0.05) than the control group on the level of street heroin use and on the level of physical and mental health. Both groups reported significantly less criminal acts after 12 months (p < 0.001), but with no significant difference between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This trial confirms the short-term efficacy of HAT for severe heroin addicts, who already failed methadone treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institut des Sciences Humaines et Sociales, Université de Liège B31, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Demaret
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quertemont
authors.forename: Géraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Litran
authors.forename: Cécile
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Magoga
authors.forename: Clémence
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deblire
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dubois
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Roubaix
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charlier
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lemaître
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ansseau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium; D005260:Female; D003932:Heroin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D003932:Heroin