Skip to main content

Congenital Malformation Risk Lower With Buprenorphine Versus Methadone

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Jan 25, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2024 -- The risk for congenital malformations is lower in association with buprenorphine versus methadone for opioid use disorder in pregnancy, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Elizabeth A. Suarez, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues compared the risk for congenital malformations following in utero exposure to buprenorphine versus methadone in a population-based cohort study using data from publicly insured Medicaid beneficiaries from 2000 to 2018. Data were included for 13,360 pregnancies with enrollment from 90 days prior to pregnancy start through one month after delivery; first-trimester buprenorphine or methadone use was linked to infant outcomes.

Overall, 9,514 pregnancies with first-trimester buprenorphine exposure and 3,846 with methadone exposure were included in the cohort. The researchers found that the risk for malformations was 50.9 and 60.6 per 1,000 pregnancies for buprenorphine and methadone, respectively. After confounding adjustment, buprenorphine was associated with a lower risk for malformations compared with methadone (risk ratio [RR], 0.82). For buprenorphine, risk was lower for cardiac malformations (RR, 0.63), including ventricular septal defect and secundum atrial septal defect/non-prematurity-related patent foramen ovale (RRs, 0.62 and 0.54, respectively), oral clefts (RR, 0.65), and clubfoot (RR, 0.55). Given low event counts, results for neural tube defects were uncertain.

"The small increase observed in the risk of malformations with methadone use compared with buprenorphine likely does not exclude methadone as the best treatment choice for some pregnant individuals, particularly those on stable treatment prior to pregnancy or patients who do not respond well to buprenorphine," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to industry.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted January 2024

Read this next

COVID-19 Infection, Vaccination Not Linked to Congenital Anomalies

FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- COVID-19 infection and vaccination during the first trimester of pregnancy are not associated with congenital anomalies, according to a study published...

Considerable Gaps Seen in Provision of Effective Treatment for Opioid Addiction

TUESDAY, July 16, 2024 -- There are considerable gaps in provision of effective treatments for opioid use disorders (OUD) at U.S. substance use disorder (SUD) treatment...

Soy Consumption in Children Tied to Better Thinking, Attention

TUESDAY, July 16, 2024 -- School-aged children who consume more soy foods may have improved thinking and attention, according to a study presented during NUTRITION 2024, the...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.