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MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Gov. Peter Shumlin is slated to outline a new Vermont program to use the drug naltrexone to combat opiate addiction.
Vermont officials are planning to add a brand-name form of naltrexone — called Vivitrol — to their toolbox for fighting opiate addiction.
Vivitrol is a once-a-month injectable that helps patients overcome addiction to heroin and other opiates by blocking the euphoric effects of those drugs.
Vermont Human Services Secretary Hal Cohen told The Associated Press earlier this month that the drug is used with people who have been detoxed from opioids and can be effective in preventing a relapse into addiction.
Shumlin is to announce the new program on Tuesday.
Naltrexone is also used to treat alcohol dependency.
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