Title
Rise and regional disparities in buprenorphine utilization in the United States.
Publication/Presentation Date
6-1-2020
Abstract
PURPOSE: Buprenorphine is an opioid partial agonist used to treat opioid use disorder. While several policy changes have attempted to increase buprenorphine availability, access remains well below optimal levels. This study characterized how buprenorphine utilization in the United States has changed over time and whether there are regional disparities in distribution of the medication.
METHODS: The amount of buprenorphine distributed from 2007 to 2017 was obtained from the Drug Enforcement Administration's Automated Reports and Consolidated Ordering System. Data were expressed as the percent change and milligrams per person in each state. The formulations and cost for prescriptions covered by Medicaid (2008 to 2018) were also examined.
RESULTS: Buprenorphine distributed to pharmacies increased about 7-fold (476.8 to 3179.9 kg) while the quantities distributed to hospitals grew 5-fold (18.6 to 97.6 kg) nationally from 2007 to 2017. Buprenorphine distribution per person was almost 20-fold higher in Vermont (40.4 mg/person) relative to South Dakota (2.1 mg/person). There was a strong association between the number of physicians authorized to prescribe buprenorphine and distribution per state (r[49] = +0.94, P < .0005). The buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual film (Suboxone) was the predominant formulation (92.6% of 0.31 million Medicaid prescriptions) in 2008 but accounted for less than three-fifth (57.3% of 6.56 million prescriptions) in 2018.
CONCLUSIONS: Although buprenorphine availability has substantially increased over the last decade, distribution was very nonhomogeneous across the United States.
Volume
29
Issue
6
First Page
708
Last Page
715
ISSN
1099-1557
Published In/Presented At
Pashmineh Azar, A. R., Cruz-Mullane, A., Podd, J. C., Lam, W. S., Kaleem, S. H., Lockard, L. B., Mandel, M. R., Chung, D. Y., Simoyan, O. M., Davis, C. S., Nichols, S. D., McCall, K. L., & Piper, B. J. (2020). Rise and regional disparities in buprenorphine utilization in the United States. Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety, 29(6), 708–715. https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.4984
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
32173955
Department(s)
Department of Surgery, Department of Surgery Residents, Fellows and Residents
Document Type
Article