Lubiprostone
Brand names: Lubiprostone, Amitiza
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 263,138
- Medicare drug cost
- $30.8M
- Average cost per prescription
- $117
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 11,699
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Amitiza is a chloride channel activator indicated for the treatment of: chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain, including patients with chronic pain related to prior cancer or its treatment who do not require frequent (e.g., weekly) opioid dosage escalation. Limitations of Use: Effectiveness of Amitiza in the treatment of OIC in patients taking diphenylheptane opioids (e.g., methadone) has not been established. irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in women ≥ 18 years old.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated July 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Who prescribes it
- Nurse Practitioners 23.1%
- Gastroenterology 21.1%
- Internal Medicine 18.3%
- Family Medicine 17.2%
- Physician Assistants 11.3%
- Pain Medicine 2.5%
- Geriatric Medicine 1.4%
- General Practice 1.0%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 0.6%
- Hospitalist 0.5%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 0.3%
- General Surgery 0.3%
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 fell 37% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Colorado +7%
- Wisconsin −5%
- Washington −9%
- Florida −13%
- Indiana −18%
- Mississippi (smallest change) −64%
- New York (smallest change) −59%
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 5 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.
Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 8 ug | pink oval capsule, 9 mm | A41 |
| 24 ug | orange oval capsule, 9 mm | A42 |
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 8 ug | pink oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
| 24 ug | orange oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 8 ug | pink oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
| 24 ug | orange oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
Proficient Rx LP
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 24 ug | orange oval capsule, 9 mm | A04 |
Specgx LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 8 ug | pink oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
| 24 ug | orange oval capsule, 9 mm | SPI |
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
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
No FDA-reported recalls since 2020.
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.