The FDA has approved the first injectable treatment option for opioid addiction.

Sublocade is a once-monthly injection to treat patients recovering from addiction.

Dr. Stuart Wasser is a Rockville Centre-based addiction medicine expert. He says Sublocade may prove to be an effective alternative for patients who are currently struggling with the current options on the market, which are taken on a daily basis -- often a tough task for someone battling addiction and withdrawal.

But while the new treatment is designed to prevent relapses, Mary Smith, of Rockville Centre, says she worries it could introduce new concerns for people in recovery who may already be in a vulnerable state.

"It’s not proven yet, and who knows if people are going to have reactions to it," she says.

The FDA says it will continue to promote all available medication-based addiction treatments, but some recovery groups say they prefer an abstinence-only model.

Sublocade doesn't come cheap. It costs more than $1,500 per monthly dose.