Pharmacy Barriers to Receiving Buprenorphine Among Patients Undergoing Telemedicine Addiction Treatment

Do patients receiving telemedicine treatment for opioid use disorder experience barriers at the pharmacy level when filling buprenorphine prescriptions?In this cross-sectional study of 601 adults, approximately one-third of patients missed buprenorphine doses in the past 12 months due to a pharmacy-related barrier, and one-quarter experienced a challenge filling their buprenorphine prescription at the pharmacy. The most common fill barrier was that the pharmacy did not have available buprenorphine and needed to order additional stock, risking treatment interruption.This study found that challenges filling buprenorphine prescriptions were prevalent among individuals receiving telemedicine treatment for opioid use disorder, suggesting that interventions are needed to improve access to buprenorphine.

Corresponding Author: Marlene C. Lira, MPH, Workit Health, 3300 Washtenaw Ave, Ste 280, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (mlira@workithealth.com).

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