The peer-reviewed study showed that over 18% of opioid use disorder patients turning to telemedicine were already self-treating with diverted buprenorphine
BOSTON, December 10, 2024 -- Bicycle Health, the nation’s largest provider of virtual opioid use disorder treatment, published new research in Substance Use & Misuse. This peer-reviewed study examined the rate of buprenorphine use among new patients seeking opioid use disorder (OUD) care from the telehealthcare provider. Its findings highlight the reality of access challenges among people seeking treatment for opioid addiction.
Medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) such as buprenorphine, dramatically improve care outcomes which has made them the gold standard in OUD care. These medications have been shown to reduce non-fatal drug overdoses, ER visits, and healthcare costs all while contributing to long-term, sustained recovery for patients. Despite this, barriers to buprenorphine access –– including geographic deserts, limited access to in-person addiction medicine specialists, and social stigma –– have continued to arbitrarily limit clinically-proven care for patients across the U.S.
This study sought to understand the percentage of patients initiating telehealth-based OUD treatment who were already taking buprenorphine and how they were accessing the medication. It was a retrospective cohort study of the first 500 consecutively enrolled patients in Bicycle Health’s program in January 2023. Key findings include:
- Of those 500 patients, 46.4% were already taking buprenorphine when they entered the program.
- Among those taking buprenorphine at the time of treatment initiation, 39.7% (or 18.4% of the total study population) reported they obtained the buprenorphine specifically via diversion (i.e., buprenorphine that had not been prescribed to them).
- There were no trends in the use of diverted buprenorphine associated with sex, age, payment modality, or primary opioid type use.
Prior research has shown that a primary motivator for the use of diverted buprenorphine is the inability to access treatment. Many people seek this medication to self-treat OUD as it allows them to stop or reduce dangerous opioid use and help alleviate the debilitating symptoms of withdrawal. However, people who are reliant on diverted buprenorphine for these types of reasons may not be receiving the optimal impact as those who are safely and stably prescribed the medication by an addiction medicine specialist – and they are missing out on the wraparound care that virtual MOUD treatment can provide.
“When you talk about expanding access to medications for OUD like buprenorphine, the question of diversion always comes up. But the reality of diverted buprenorphine is often much different than that of other controlled substances,” said Dr. Brian Clear, Chief Medical Officer of Bicycle Health. “We’ve continued to see that when people are ready for recovery, they turn to whatever they can most easily access to get there. We hope that by expanding access to this life-saving medication via telehealth, we are lowering the amount of diverted buprenorphine while helping more people into safer, longer-term recovery.”
To learn more about Bicycle Health and its clinically proven virtual MOUD care model, visit www.bicyclehealth.com.
About Bicycle Health
Bicycle Health is the leading telehealth provider of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in the United States, offering an evidence-based clinical care model that includes FDA-approved Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT), access to a highly-trained team of medical experts, therapy, a customized treatment plan, and peer support groups. Bicycle Health’s mission is to address the country’s number one public health crisis by helping to reduce stigmas associated with opioid addiction and providing access to affordable, convenient, and confidential tele-MOUD treatment for individuals in need. The company’s “whole person” approach to treatment encourages patients to focus on their life passions and goals, which has been shown to play a vital role in recovery. For more information, visit www.bicyclehealth.com.
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LaunchSquad for Bicycle Health
bicyclehealth@launchsquad.com