Moderator: Elizabeth Nichols, MS, Manager, Department of Specialty Courts, Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts, and Member, Operation UNITE Board of Directors

CE Certified By: AMA,AAFP,ACPE,ANCC,APA,NAADAC,NASW,NBCC

Expanding medication assisted treatment (MAT) of OUD with buprenorphine is a major goal of national efforts to combat the opioid crisis. Cost of treatment is an important factor that may determine utilization of buprenorphine. Increasingly, private insurers include buprenorphine in their formulary, yet little is known about overall cost and cost-sharing.

Using MarketScan Rx claims data from 2003 to 2015, presenters will share new data on buprenorphine use and cost trends among privately insured adults. This evidence is crucial for informing future efforts to increase the uptake of and adherence to OUD treatment. Their findings show that private insurer spending on buprenorphine has not increased since the first buprenorphine product approved to treat OUD entered the market in 2003. Patient out-of-pocket buprenorphine costs also have declined steadily across the study period, likely owing to new generic buprenorphine product entries and the positive effects of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act on MAT insurance coverage. The number of total buprenorphine users increased dramatically from 2003 to 2013 but has since plateaued; the number of patients newly starting buprenorphine has declined since 2013. The presenters build on this new evidence to highlight existing concerns affecting buprenorphine access and affordability and discuss potential opportunities to increase the uptake of buprenorphine moving forward.

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS COURSE, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- Describe historical trends in the use and cost of buprenorphine.
- Identify the underlying policy and market changes contributing to these trends.
- Explain the implications of recent buprenorphine use and cost trends on future efforts to expand opioid use disorder treatment.