“…• Health Canada exemption is not required to prescribe buprenorphine-naloxone in most provinces and territories (Appendix 1) • Lower risk of overdose due to partial agonist properties and ceiling effect for respiratory depression (in the absence of benzodiazepines or alcohol) 19,24,25 • Lower risk of public safety harms if diverted 26,27 • Milder adverse effect profile 22,23 • Easier to transition from buprenorphine-naloxone to methadone if treatment is unsuccessful 22,23 • Shorter time to achieve therapeutic dose (1-3 d) [28][29][30] • Lower risk of toxicity and drug-drug interactions 31 • Milder withdrawal symptoms when discontinuing treatment; may be a better option for individuals with lower-intensity opioid dependence (e.g., oral opioid dependence, infrequent or no injection use, short history of opioid use disorder), and individuals planning to taper off opioid agonist treatment in a relatively short period 22,23 • Optimal for rural and remote locations where access to care is limited, methadone prescribers are lacking, or daily witnessed ingestion at a pharmacy is not feasible • More flexible dosing schedules (e.g., alternate-day dosing, earlier provision of 1-to 2-week take-home prescriptions, and unobserved home inductions) support patient autonomy and can reduce costs [32][33][34][35] • Easier to adjust and retitrate following missed doses, owing to its partial agonist properties…”