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Study: Pharmacies can be a significant access barrier to key medication for addiction
One in five pharmacies refuse to dispense a key medication to treat addiction, according to new research.
The study, published in the journal
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy. Researchers called hundreds of pharmacies around the country to ask whether they would dispense Suboxone, also known as buprenorphine.
Buprenorphine is a vital, lifesaving medication for people with opioid use disorder, but improving access has been a problem for a variety of reasons. Although anecdotes and smaller studies have suggested problems, our study is the first to systematically characterize this barrier.
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One in five pharmacies refuse to dispense a key medication to treat addiction, according to new research.
The study, published in the journal
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was conducted by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy. Researchers called hundreds of pharmacies around the country to ask whether they would dispense Suboxone, also known as buprenorphine. Buprenorphine is a vital, lifesaving medication for people with opioid use disorder, but improving access has been a problem for a variety of reasons, said senior author Daniel Hartung, Pharm.D., M.P.H., professor in the College of Pharmacy. Although anecdotes and smaller studies have suggested problems, our study is the first to systematically characterize this barrier.