Starting Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder Improves Compliance With Other Medications - Pain Medicine News
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital reported that patients treated with buprenorphine for opioid use disorder show surprisingly significant improvements in adhering to medications for other chronic unrelated conditions.
Published in the journal Medical Care (2019;57[9]:667-672), the population-based, retrospective study reviewed medical records for more than 12,000 patients with a diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD) who were given buprenorphine, a partial opioid agonist widely used to treat OUD. Expanded use of buprenorphine is linked with the national epidemic of opioid misuse. In 2016, approximately 700,000 Americans filled buprenorphine prescriptions—more than double the number 10 years earlier. However, a recent study found disparities in access to the medication. The rate of Medicaid-covered prescriptions for buprenorphine was much lower in states that did not expand their Medicaid programs in accordance with the Affordable Care Act.
