HARCP Archives

Browse by article

Browse by volume

Heroin Addiction and Related Clinical Problems: 2021, 23, N2 (pages: 13 - 27)

Effectiveness of Medication-Assisted Therapy in Malaysia. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis after a Decade.

Musa R., and Yee A.

Summary: Background Medication-assisted therapy especially Methadone Maintenance Therapy (MMT) has been shown worldwide to have the strength as a treatment option for opioid dependence. Aim This paper aimed to produce concrete evidence on the effectiveness of MMT in Malaysia. Materials and Methods To systematically review and quantitatively analyse the effectiveness of MMT in Malaysia. The authors searched using main keywords of ‘effectiveness Methadone in Malaysia' through Google Scholar, EMBASE, PubMed, and Ovid. Results A total of 41 articles were retrieved form the search and we analysed 16 articles related to the topic. The title, abstract, and full-text screening will be completed in duplicate. Most studies show MMT is effective in improving the quality of life of subjects, reduction in high risk behaviours, improvement of employment rate and it is cost-effective as compared to other options. Conclusions MMT shows tangible evidence of effectiveness in various aspects including primary and secondary outcomes.