What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine the opioid use disorder landscape in Brazil and identify gaps in current treatment approaches.

April 18, 2026Open Access

Opioid Use Disorder in Brazil: Emerging Patterns, Critical Gaps, and Implications for Public Health Policy - A Systematic Review

Key Points

To examine the opioid use disorder landscape in Brazil and identify gaps in current treatment approaches.
Conducted a systematic review of available literature on opioid use in Brazil.
Analyzed patterns of prescription opioid misuse and illicit opioid use.
Identified gaps in randomized controlled trials regarding treatment effectiveness.
Brazil has a low prevalence of illicit opioid use but significant issues with prescription opioid misuse.
No randomized controlled trials exist to evaluate treatment effectiveness for opioid use disorder in Brazil.
Urgent research is needed to explore the feasibility of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder within Brazil's health care system.

Abstract

Brazil faces a distinct opioid landscape characterized by low prevalence of illicit opioid use but notable misuse of prescription opioids. The absence of RCTs evaluating treatment effectiveness represents a significant evidence gap. Urgent research is needed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) within the Brazilian health care system (SUS).

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Cite This Study

Oliveira et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69e31f7340886becb653eaef https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.47626/1516-4446-2025-4750

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