According to the WHO, drug use is linked to about 600 000 deaths globally each year, with approximately 450 000 of those attributed to opioid use. Despite the scale of the crisis, fewer than 10% of the estimated 64 million people worldwide living with drug use disorders currently receive treatment.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The WHO said the updated guidelines are aimed at expanding access to affordable, ethical and evidence\u2011based care for people with opioid dependence or those at risk of overdose, particularly in low\u2011 and middle\u2011income countries where treatment gaps remain severe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cAdequate access to high\u2011quality care is essential,\u201d the agency said, noting that stigma, criminalisation and weak health systems continue to prevent people from seeking and receiving life\u2011saving support.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The updated guidance reaffirms that opioid agonist treatment using medicines such as methadone and oral buprenorphine remains the cornerstone of effective care. These medications should continue to be prescribed and managed by trained health professionals as part of comprehensive medical treatment, the WHO said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Evidence consistently shows that opioid agonist therapy reduces overdose deaths, improves health outcomes and supports social reintegration.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The new guidance also introduces an additional treatment option: long\u2011acting injectable buprenorphine. The WHO recommends its use with caution while further evidence is gathered, particularly on long\u2011term outcomes, cost effectiveness and feasibility in resource\u2011constrained settings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The injectable formulation may help improve treatment adherence for some patients by reducing the need for daily dosing, the agency noted.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The WHO emphasised that updated clinical guidance alone will not be enough to curb opioid\u2011related deaths. Governments were urged to invest in scaling up treatment services, strengthen primary healthcare systems and ensure that overdose\u2011reversal medicines are widely available at the community level.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The full guideline document, including the scientific evidence, clinical recommendations, implementation guidance and identified research gaps, is currently being finalised. The WHO said it expects to publish the complete guidelines later in 2026 or early 2027.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Opioids remain a leading driver of preventable deaths globally, and the WHO said urgent action is needed to close treatment gaps and save lives.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–UN\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29908,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-30737","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced updated guidelines for the treatment of opioid dependence and the community management of opioid overdose, as opioid use continues to drive the majority of fatal drug overdoses worldwide.","published_date":"","news_description":"The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced updated guidelines for the treatment of opioid dependence and the community management of opioid overdose, as opioid use continues to drive the majority of fatal drug overdoses worldwide.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30737","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30737\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30738,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30737\/revisions\/30738"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=30737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}