A recent study assessed buprenorphine availability at local pharmacies and identified where patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) may have difficulty filling buprenorphine prescriptions. The results of the study revealed limitations on buprenorphine’s timely availability at retail pharmacies.
Barriers to patient access to buprenorphine for OUD included limited availability in certain states, uncertainty as to whether the medication would be available on-time, whether the pharmacy had enough stock for the patient’s full prescription, and whether the pharmacy would stock buprenorphine after the first call. These findings supplement prior studies identifying pharmacy-level barriers to buprenorphine access.
Read the full study here.