Articles tagged “buprenorphine”

First buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder abandoned before dispensing rose from 19% in 2020 to 37% in 2024, CDC researchers report.

Sublocade maker Indivior will merge with Supernus Pharmaceuticals in an all-stock deal creating a $2.2 billion CNS biopharmaceutical company.

SAMHSA updates 42 CFR Part 8 regulations for the first time in 20 years, expanding telehealth prescribing and take-home medication access for opioid treatment programs.

JAMA Network Open study of 36,752 patients finds buprenorphine-naloxone reduces nonfatal opioid overdose risk compared to extended-release naltrexone following medical detox.

Study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence finds standard methadone and buprenorphine doses often inadequate for heavy fentanyl dependence, raising treatment retention concerns.

Indivior's decision to pull extended-release buprenorphine from Australia by year-end highlights the unintended consequences of Trump's 'most favoured nations' pricing approach on addiction treatment access worldwide.

The Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act 2.0 would allow board-certified addiction physicians to prescribe methadone directly, breaking the monopoly of specialty clinics and bringing treatment closer to patients.

New federal guidance empowers pharmacists to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, potentially transforming access to medication-assisted treatment in underserved communities.

FDA requires updated labeling for buprenorphine and methadone products, emphasizing that medication-assisted treatment should not be withheld from patients using benzodiazepines or other CNS depressants.

North Carolina's third mobile medication-assisted treatment program brings buprenorphine and methadone directly to underserved communities through partnership with Oak City Cares homeless services hub.

DEA final rule formally eliminates X-waiver for buprenorphine prescribing and extends injectable medication window from 14 to 45 days, removing major barriers to medication-assisted treatment.

FDA approves Rextovy, expanding OTC naloxone options to three products. The new 4mg nasal spray broadens access to overdose reversal medication amid declining but still elevated overdose deaths.

SAMHSA's April guidance cautioning against indefinite methadone and buprenorphine use reignites debate over medication-assisted treatment as overdose deaths decline nationwide.

New educational platform aims to equip healthcare professionals with practical skills to treat substance use disorders amid nationwide provider shortage.

Aegis Treatment Centers launches second Mobile Medication Vehicle to bring daily opioid treatment to Amador and Calaveras counties, eliminating geographic barriers in California's Sierra foothills.

DEA and HHS extend COVID-era telehealth flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances including buprenorphine through December 31, 2026, expanding access to addiction treatment nationwide.

Real-world data shows patients with fentanyl use disorder treated with monthly injectable buprenorphine stayed in treatment longer than those on daily sublingual formulations

New data from Lancaster County Prison shows medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction reduced reincarceration rates by nearly 50%, offering a model for correctional facilities nationwide.

A new review reveals that the vast majority of adolescents with opioid use disorder are denied access to life-saving medications like buprenorphine, despite FDA approval and clinical guidelines supporting their use.

Illinois lawmakers approve landmark legislation requiring county jails to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, addressing critical care gaps in correctional facilities.

Groundbreaking initiative brings buprenorphine and counseling to detained individuals, addressing a critical gap in addiction care within the state's criminal justice system.

Real-world evidence demonstrates extended-release buprenorphine significantly reduces opioid relapse, bloodstream infections, and healthcare utilization compared to daily oral formulations.

Stanford-led research shows low-dose buprenorphine after ketamine infusion extends anti-suicidal benefits from days to weeks, offering new hope for high-risk patients.

New JAMA Network Open research from Yale brings together 42 national experts to develop consensus guidelines for initiating addiction medications in hospitals as fentanyl transforms treatment protocols

New data shows medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder reached 69% among Medicaid beneficiaries by 2023, yet 180-day treatment retention declined from 62.6% to 57.7%.

Physicians publish urgent editorial urging federal action to protect access to addiction medications during climate emergencies after Hurricane Helene exposed critical gaps.

New data presented at ASAM 2026 shows extended-release buprenorphine (Sublocade) associated with lowest overdose rates among medication options and supports remission as meaningful treatment endpoint.

New research reveals 20% of US pharmacies block access to buprenorphine, with independent pharmacies and southern states showing significantly higher refusal rates for this life-saving opioid addiction medication.

BMJ study of 2.5 million Medicaid births finds children exposed to buprenorphine in utero have no greater risk of ADHD, autism, or other neurodevelopmental disorders compared to methadone exposure.

JAMA Network Open study finds Medicaid expansion in eight states increased buprenorphine prescriptions by over 21%, with Oklahoma seeing 43% drop in overdose deaths.

New JAMA study shows states expanding Medicaid after 2018 saw sharp rises in buprenorphine prescriptions, but federal funding cuts could reverse gains.

World Health Organization updates treatment guidelines adding monthly buprenorphine injections to methadone oral medication recommendations addressing epidemic killing three-quarters million people yearly

University of Cincinnati launches one of nation's largest trials pairing weight-loss drugs with proven addiction medication to improve treatment retention and reduce cravings.

New research from Ohio University finds primary care physicians view opioid use disorder as more treatable than diabetes, yet only 8% have ever prescribed buprenorphine, creating treatment deserts in rural America.

World Health Organization adds conditional endorsement for long-acting injectable buprenorphine to global opioid dependence treatment guidelines April 2026, alongside continued strong recommendations for methadone and oral formulations.

Proposed legislation SB 365 mandates that Connecticut emergency departments offer buprenorphine to patients with opioid use disorder, despite hospital opposition citing costs.

Ann Arbor-based online addiction provider now treats kratom and 7-hydroxymitragynine dependence through app-based platform, addressing regulatory gap as FDA restricts potent derivatives but leaf products remain unregulated nationwide.

New Nature Mental Health study finds combining low-dose ketamine with mindfulness training improves outcomes for people receiving buprenorphine treatment, opening door to psychedelic-assisted interventions

New Wisconsin Policy Forum report reveals dramatic expansion in MOUD access across state correctional facilities from 2021 to 2025, coinciding with substantial decline in overdose deaths.

SUPPORT Act allows pharmacists to prescribe addiction medication with 8 hours training. Maryland considers state legislation as federal pathway opens treatment access.

Opioid deaths fell 12% in Washington last year while innovative programs expanded access to life-saving treatment. But new Medicaid work requirements and federal funding cuts are already disrupting care.

Workit Health's evidence-based virtual care model delivers 62% rural retention at three months—more than double competing programs—with peer-reviewed studies in JAMA Network Open showing perfect buprenorphine adherence among participants.

First randomized trial testing extended-release buprenorphine in pregnancy finds higher abstinence rates and fewer serious adverse events compared to standard sublingual treatment.

Somerset County commissioners chose to protect a jail Sublocade program with zero overdose deaths over prevention services as opioid settlement funds run short.

A new survey of 212 jails and prisons finds only 58% provide FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorder, with stark regional disparities and treatment gaps putting released inmates at 40-times-higher overdose risk.

NIH-funded trial finds pregnant patients receiving weekly extended-release buprenorphine injections achieved significantly higher rates of opioid abstinence with fewer serious adverse events than those on sublingual buprenorphine.

New research shows patients adherent to extended-release buprenorphine injections had $15,017 lower annual costs and fewer emergency visits than those using other opioid use disorder medications.

Weill Cornell research shows state laws eliminating insurance prior authorization for buprenorphine don't significantly improve 180-day retention rates, highlighting need for broader policy interventions.

Civil rights lawsuit alleges Missouri DOC and Centurion Health deny life-saving medication to prisoners with opioid use disorder, despite $7M in settlement funds and rampant drug availability.

DEA and HHS codify pandemic-era flexibility, allowing providers to initiate and maintain buprenorphine treatment entirely via telehealth through the end of 2026, a move experts say could save lives and reshape addiction care nationwide.

New research from Harvard Medical School shows that just 10 yoga sessions can reduce the most severe phase of opioid withdrawal from nine days to five, offering a promising tool for addiction recovery.

New federal rules allow providers to prescribe six-month supply of buprenorphine via audio-only telehealth for opioid use disorder treatment, eliminating pandemic-era restrictions while implementing safeguards.