A report from Workit Health, published in JAMA Network Open, reveals widespread pharmacy barriers patients face when attempting to fill their buprenorphine prescriptions.
ANN ARBOR, Mich, Aug. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new study from the researchers at Workit Health reports that nearly one-third of respondents encountered pharmacy-level barriers to receiving their prescribed buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a first-line, FDA-approved treatment for opioid use disorder, with years of safety and efficacy data supporting its broad use. In the study, which was published in JAMA Network Open, nearly one in three patients reported going without this life-saving medication in the past year due to pharmacy-related barriers.
Opioid use disorder is a public health crisis in the United States, with opioid overdose claiming 54,743 lives in 2024. Buprenorphine significantly reduces the risk of opioid overdose and supports long-term recovery. Leading medical guidelines from the American Society of Addiction Medicine, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention recommend that patients remain on buprenorphine for as long as it continues to support their health and stability–which can often translate to years. Depriving patients of their prescribed buprenorphine puts them at risk of withdrawal symptoms, return to use of illicit opioids, hospitalization, and potentially fatal overdose.
This study analyzed responses from over 600 patients across Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, and Texas. All participating patients receive treatment for opioid use disorder via telemedicine. While the prevalence and kinds of barriers varied from state to state, respondents in all states faced widespread pharmacy barriers. Some common problems included pharmacies not having the necessary buprenorphine in stock, insurance-related delays, and pharmacists who were hesitant to fill prescriptions from telemedicine providers.
"If one-third of people with cancer went without chemotherapy because a pharmacy wasn't able to stock a medication or questioned their prescription, there would be national outrage," said senior author Marlene Lira, MPH, Senior Director of Research at Workit Health. "We should treat opioid use disorder with the same urgency—lives depend on it."
First author Lauren Hendy, PhD, emphasized the national implications of the findings:
"Telemedicine is expanding access to treatment, but pharmacy-level barriers are undoing that progress. Policy changes at the state or federal level are urgently needed to ensure buprenorphine is reliably available, just like other essential medications."
These pharmacy barriers are partly rooted in the opioid settlement agreements, which require pharmaceutical distributors to monitor controlled substances. Despite buprenorphine's safety, efficacy, and lifesaving effects, it is subject to the same reporting requirements as other controlled substances, which can discourage pharmacies and distributors from maintaining adequate supplies. One potential solution would be for state attorneys general to renegotiate these settlement agreements to exclude buprenorphine from such monitoring systems, reducing these unintended barriers to access.
Several jurisdictions are already taking action. San Francisco recently enacted an ordinance requiring retail pharmacies to stock buprenorphine alongside opioid overdose reversal medications. In New Mexico, state legislators are considering a bill that would mandate minimum stocking levels for buprenorphine in pharmacies statewide. Michigan lawmakers have introduced proposals to strengthen buprenorphine access through pharmacy stocking requirements and expanded delivery options.
At the federal level, Congressman Paul D. Tonko (D-NY) and Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) have introduced the "Broadening Utilization of Proven and Effective Treatment for Recovery Act" or "BUPE for Recovery Act." This legislation would remove buprenorphine from the DEA's Suspicious Orders Report System (SORS) during the opioid public health crisis. As SORS may discourage pharmacies from stocking sufficient buprenorphine products, this change could make it more feasible for pharmacies to keep an adequate supply of buprenorphine to fill prescriptions without delay.
These measures, especially when paired with reliable mail-delivery pharmacies, offer hope that the pharmacy barriers reported in this study may be eliminated in the future. Improving access to buprenorphine at the pharmacy level will save lives and help curb the nation's ongoing opioid overdose crisis.
Media Contact
Jaclyn Jutras, Workit Health, 1 (734) 489-1624, [email protected], https://www.workithealth.com/
SOURCE Workit Health
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