A new treatment for opioid addiction is almost approved

A new treatment for opioid addiction is making its way to the forefront.

Titan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has won the support of U.S. regulatory advisers for a small implant that would curb heroin and prescription painkiller addictions, reported Business Week.

Probuphine is surgically inserted under the skin in the upper arm of patients. The whole procedure takes about ten to fifteen minutes and is required to remain inserted for six months, stated Reuters.

“Opioid dependence is a rapidly growing public health concern and we remain committed to expanding the treatment options available to physicians and patients to manage this chronic condition,” Titan Pharmaceuticals Inc. said in a statement.

In 2008, 36,000 people died from an overdose of opioid painkillers.

The Food and Drug Administration voted 10-4 in agreement that Probuphine should be approved.

"I think it is a drug that we definitely need and the more we can put into our (opioid dependence) treatments, the better for our patients," said Dr. Louis Baxter, one of the panel members.