A new treatment to fight opioid addiction could get federal approval next week.
It's called Probuphine, and it's an implant that suppresses the urge for heroin and other opioids. The treatment releases buprenorphine, a treatment for drug addiction, 24-7, for six months.
Probuphine is implanted as four small rods in the inner arm area.
Speaking to us from the Philadelphia area via FaceTime, addiction specialist Dr. Michael Frost tells FOX 61 that he's been testing it on patients with great success since 2014.
The benefit, Dr. Frost says, is that Probuphine helps people in rehab stay the course.
"It really does take it a step away from relying on the patient to take their medication everyday," Dr. Frost said.
An FDA advisory committee already voted for approval, and a final decision is expected next Friday.
With that approval, Dr. Frost believes Probuphine could be readily available by mid-summer.
