Dr. Michael Frost of Conshohocken’s Frost Medical Group recently became one of the first doctors in America to implant Probuphine, a newly approved drug used to treat opioid addiction, in a patient, according to a staff report from 6ABC.

Last month, the FDA approved Probuphine, an implant-type treatment for battling addiction.

Among the first patients to receive the treatment was Radnor’s Katie Burlingame, who has been successfully fighting her addiction for nearly a decade.

“In August, I’ll be 10 years clean off any kind of opiates,” she said.

However, despite the success, the battle is ongoing, and she has to rely on medication to fight cravings. So far, she has been focusing on short term or dissolving tablets, but now she has decided to go with long-term option Probuphine.

According to Frost, Probuphine is delivered over six months through tiny rods that are inserted under the arm in a painless process. The medication is then released at a steady rate over a half-year period.

Dr. Frost and Burlingame agree that there is a pressing need for more addiction treatments.

“I feel like on a daily basis, I hear of someone dying,” she said. She thinks that Probuphine is a step in the right direction, and that it will help alleviate some fears of people who are just starting with recovery.

“I’ve gotten calls from Wisconsin,” Frost said of inquiries about the new drug. “I’ve gotten calls from New Jersey, people who are very, very interested.”

Read more about the treatment at 6ABC by clicking here.