Buprenorphine
Brand names: Brixadi, Sublocade, Buprenorphine, Butrans
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 417,889
- Medicare drug cost
- $135.7M
- Average cost per prescription
- $325
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 9,819
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
SUBLOCADE is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe opioid use disorder in patients who have initiated treatment with a single dose of a transmucosal buprenorphine product or who are already being treated with buprenorphine. SUBLOCADE should be used as part of a complete treatment plan that includes counseling and psychosocial support.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated July 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: RISK OF SERIOUS HARM OR DEATH WITH INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION; SUBLOCADE RISK EVALUATION AND MITIGATION STRATEGY Serious harm or death could result if administered intravenously. SUBLOCADE forms a solid mass upon contact with body fluids and may cause occlusion, local tissue damage, and thrombo-embolic events, including life threatening pulmonary emboli, if administered intravenously. Because of the risk of serious harm or death that could result from intravenous self-administration, SUBLOCADE is only available through a restricted program called the SUBLOCADE REMS Program. Healthcare settings and pharmacies that order and dispense SUBLOCADE must be certified in this program and comply with the REMS requirements.
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Pain Medicine 28.9%
- Nurse Practitioners 28.6%
- Physician Assistants 15.6%
- Family Medicine 7.4%
- Internal Medicine 4.1%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 3.8%
- Anesthesiology 3.3%
- Hospice & Palliative Medicine 1.9%
- Addiction Medicine 1.1%
- Pharmacists 0.8%
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 0.5%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.5%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 101% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Washington +201%
- Tennessee +149%
- Arizona +143%
- South Carolina +120%
- Pennsylvania +116%
- Florida (smallest change) +48%
- Texas (smallest change) +71%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 2 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg / 0.5 mg naloxone hydrochloride dihydrate | orange round tablet, 6 mm | 54 122 |
| 8 mg / 2 mg naloxone hydrochloride dihydrate | orange round tablet, 10 mm | 54 375 |
Major Pharmaceuticals
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg / 0.5 mg naloxone hydrochloride dihydrate | orange round tablet, 6 mm | 54 122 |
| 8 mg / 2 mg naloxone hydrochloride dihydrate | orange round tablet, 10 mm | 54 375 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $2.6M in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Braeburn Inc. $1.7M
- Indivior Inc. $926,261
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
3 recalls since 2020
- Aug 2026 · American Health PAckaging · Class III
Labeling: Label Mix-up - May 2023 · Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc · Class II
CGMP Deviations - Sep 2020 · Teva Pharmaceuticals USA · Class II
Failed Stability Specifications: Below specification result for buprenorphine release rate.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Industry-funded trials
- INDV-6001 Multiple-Dose Pharmacokinetic Study Completed · Indivior Inc.
- SUBLOCADE Long-term Outcomes Completed · Indivior Inc.
- Buprenorphine Extended-Release Subcutaneous Injection (RBP-6000) in High-risk Users Completed · Indivior Inc.
- Evaluating the SUBLOCADE Treatment Exit Strategy Completed · Indivior Inc.
- Extended-Release Naltrexone and Monthly Extended-Release Buprenorphine for Cocaine Use Disorder (CURB-2) Completed · Indivior Inc.
- A Study Comparing Oral Buprenorphine and Injectable Buprenorphine for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Recruiting · Indivior Inc.
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.