Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Sep 25;14(1):66.
doi: 10.1186/s12954-017-0193-7.

Methadone maintenance-lessons from two systems in China

Shui-Shan Lee  1 , Robert Newman  2
Affiliations

Methadone maintenance-lessons from two systems in China

Shui-Shan Lee et al. Harm Reduct J. .

Abstract

In Hong Kong, methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) was launched in the 1970s, almost 30 years before the counterpart programme's inauguration in Mainland China. Both were established in response to perceived public crises-addiction-related crime and HIV outbreak, respectively-and both are now regular services under two systems in the same country. Effectiveness of MMT in achieving the stated goals was evident in each case and provides useful lessons on strategies for dealing with the varied concerns related to illicit drug use. Today, with changing patterns of drug addiction, increasing competition for resources, and changing attitudes towards addiction and its treatment, the two MMT systems are confronted with similar challenges to achieve sustainability.

Keywords: Drug rehabilitation; HIV; Harm reduction; Human immunodeficiency virus; MMT; Methadone maintenance treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Methadone (a) is handed over to drug users under direct supervision of staff at Hong Kong’s methadone clinics. In the years before and following the millennium, professionals in neighbouring cities made study tours to Hong Kong to take reference of the latter’s methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) service. The model of care varied, alongside the colour of methadone: b green in cities in Mainland China, for example, Liuzhou; c coffee-like in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; d colourless in Macau, offered in conjunction with orange-coloured laxative; and e pink in Taiwan
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Dole VP, Nyswander ME. A medical treatment for diacetylmorphine (heroin) addiction—a clinical trial with methadone hydrochloride. JAMA. 1965;193:646–650. doi: 10.1001/jama.1965.03090080008002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brickner PW, Torres RA, Barnes M, Newman RG, Des Jarlais DC, Whalen DP, Rogers DE. Recommendations for control and prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in intravenous drug users. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110(10):833–837. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-110-10-833. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marienfeld C. Heroin addiction, methadone, and HIV in China. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016;3(9):799–800. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30130-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lee SS. A humble service that has delivered public health good. Public Health. 2007;121(11):884–886. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2007.02.017. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zheng X, Tian C, Choi KH, Zhang J, Cheng H, Yang X, Li D, Lin J, Qu S, Sun X, Hall T, Mandel J, Hearst N. Injecting drug use and HIV infection in southwest China. AIDS. 1994;8(8):1141–1147. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199408000-00017. - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms