The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced updates to key recommendations in its upcoming guidelines on the treatment of opioid dependence and the community management of opioid overdose.
In a statement, WHO said opioid dependence remains a major driver of global illness and death. It noted that about 316 million people used drugs in 2023, including roughly 61 million who engaged in non-medical opioid use.
According to the agency, opioids account for the largest share of the drug-related health burden, including fatal overdoses. Of the estimated 600,000 drug-related deaths worldwide, about 450,000 are linked to opioid use.
WHO stressed the importance of ensuring access to affordable, ethical, high-quality, and evidence-based care for people with opioid dependence and those at risk of overdose. However, it said that although around 64 million people are living with drug use disorders globally, fewer than 10 per cent currently receive treatment.
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To help countries address this gap, WHO said it regularly develops and updates guidelines aimed at expanding access to effective care and reducing overdose-related deaths through evidence-based recommendations.
The latest updates were developed through a rigorous process that assessed benefits and risks, cost-effectiveness, equity, acceptability, and feasibility.
Comprehensive findings from systematic literature reviews of quantitative and qualitative evidence were examined by the Guideline Development Group (GDG), which updated the existing and formulated the new recommendations.
In the updated guidelines, WHO reaffirms its recommendation for the opioid agonist maintenance treatment (OAMT) defined as the administration of rigorously evaluated opioid agonists by accredited professionals within recognised medical practise to people with opioid dependence to achieve defined treatment goals.
Alongside the continued strong recommendations for OAMT with methadone and oral buprenorphine, WHO now extends its guidance to include new formulations of long-acting injectable buprenorphine (conditional recommendation).
Under the oversight of the WHO Guidelines Review Committee, and in consultation with the GDG and the guidelines methodologist, the Steering Group is advancing the peer‑review, finalisation, and publication of the full guidelines, which are expected later this year or in early 2027.
According to the statement, these guidelines will include detailed recommendations, the supporting rationale, evidence profiles, implementation considerations, identified research gaps, and other relevant information.
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