Monthly Injectable Buprenorphine Associated With 56% Fewer Inpatient Visits For People With Opioid Use Disorder

People with opioid use disorder (OUD) using a monthly injectable form of buprenorphine had lower health care utilization and fewer infectious disease-related complications than those taking daily transmucosal buprenorphine, according to a recent study. During a six-month follow-up period, those receiving extended-release buprenorphine (BUP-XR or Sublocade) had 56% fewer inpatient visits, 22% fewer emergency department visits, and 21% fewer all-cause outpatient visits.

The findings were based on a retrospective cohort study that compared outcomes for 467 people using BUP-XR with outcomes for 118,112 people using daily transmucosal buprenorphine (TM-BUP). Researchers analyzed . . .