More doctors can prescribe a leading addiction treatment. Why aren’t more people getting help?

By CARLA K. JOHNSON
AP Medical Writer

A new study finds little change in the number of people taking a key medicine for opioid addiction even though it’s now easier for doctors to prescribe it. The findings were published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers looked at what happened after the U.S. government lifted an obstacle to buprenorphine prescribing early last year. It’s no longer required for prescribers to get a special waiver. The researchers said it may take more than one year to see a bigger increase in patients treated with the medicine, which helps with cravings.