What is Buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Buprenorphine, like all MAT medications, should be prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and other behavioral therapies to give patients a whole-person approach.
Buprenorphine is the first OUD medication that can be prescribed or dispensed in a doctor's office, significantly increasing treatment access.
After completing specialized training, qualified practitioners can dispense or prescribe buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) in settings other than opioid treatment programs (OTP) under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA 2000), the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), and the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act.
Buprenorphine has several advantages for those with OUD and others for whom treatment in a methadone clinic is ineffective or inconvenient.
The FDA has approved the following buprenorphine products for the treatment of OUD:
- Generic Buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual tablets
- Buprenorphine sublingual tablets (Subutex)
- Buprenorphine/naloxone sublingual films (Suboxone)
- Buprenorphine/naloxone) sublingual tablets (Zubsolv)
- Buprenorphine/naloxone buccal film (Bunavail)
- Buprenorphine implants (Probuphine)
- Buprenorphine extended-release injection (Sublocade)
