An analysis of patterns of distribution of buprenorphine in the United States using ARCOS, Medicaid, and Medicare databases.

ABSTRACT: Opioid overdose remains a problem in the United States despite pharmacotherapies, such as buprenorphine, in the treatment of opioid use disorder. This study characterized changes in buprenorphine use. Using the Drug Enforcement Administration's ARCOS, Medicaid, and Medicare claims databases, patterns in buprenorphine usage in the United States from 2018 to 2020 were analyzed by examining percentage changes in total grams distributed and changes in grams per 100 K people in year-to-year usage based on ZIP code and state levels. For ARCOS from 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020, total buprenorphine distribution in grams increased by 16.2% and 12.6%, respectively. South Dakota showed the largest statewide percentage increase in both 2018-2019 (66.1%) and 2019-2020 (36.7%). From 2018 to 2019, the Z

SUBMITTER: Hsu ZS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10364307 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature