Literature Collection

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the impact of an insurance-mandated change in formulation of buprenorphine/naloxone (BNX) for patients with opioid use disorder treated in a primary care clinic. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to determine the proportion of patients who were switched back to the previous BNX formulation and rates of aberrant urine drug tests for the 3 months before and 3 months after a mandated change in BNX from the sublingual film to the rapidly dissolving tablet (BNX-RDT). Aberrant urine drug tests were defined as the presence of cocaine, nonprescribed opioids/benzodiazepines, or the absence of buprenorphine. RESULTS: In all, 186 patients were included in the analysis. At 3 months after the change, 36.0% of patients remained on BNX-RDT at equivalent dose, 9.1% were prescribed a higher dose of BNX-RDT, 52.7% were switched back to their previous formulation after a trial of BNX-RDT, and 2.2% dropped out of care. There was no significant change in the rates of aberrant urine drug tests pre and postchange (36.6% vs 33.7%; P = 0.27) or in any individual component of urine drug testing. Age, sex, and starting dose were not associated with remaining on BNX-RDT at equivalent dose, compared with increasing dose or changing formulation. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients were dissatisfied with the change in formulation and requested a return to the previous formulation. This change did not appear to impact drug use; however, the flexibility that permitted patients to switch back to their previous BNX formulation likely attenuated the policy's impact.

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has made significant improvements in increasing prescribing of medication treatment for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and medication treatment for alcohol use disorder (MAUD); however, several barriers to treatment retention remain. In an effort to improve MOUD/MAUD retention, a Veterans Affairs (VA) facility established a pharmacist-led substance use disorder (SUD) transitions of care telephone clinic for patients discharged from an inpatient hospitalization on MOUD/MAUD, including buprenorphine/naloxone (BUP/NAL) and extended-release (ER) naltrexone injections. Pharmacists within the clinic assess aspects of treatment retention such as medication tolerability, perceived barriers to continuing treatment, status of current prescriptions, and appointment coordination. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-led SUD transitions of care telephone clinic on MOUD/MAUD retention following inpatient initiation in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) and/or alcohol use disorder (AUD). Secondary objectives included subanalyses of clinic impact on MOUD/MAUD retention based on study medication or diagnoses, health care utilization, and characterization of pharmacist interventions. METHODS: The study identified patients for inclusion from inpatient units at a VA hospital. The study included patients if they were >18 years of age, had a diagnosis of AUD and/or OUD, and were initiated on ER naltrexone or BUP/NAL during admission and continued at discharge from August 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019. The study excluded patients if they declined clinic involvement, transferred facilities, moved beyond the VA catchment area, or were unable to be reached for initial contact after 3 telephone attempts. The intervention group included patients enrolled in the pharmacist-led SUD transitions of care telephone clinic, while the control group included patients initiated on MOUD/MAUD during admission who were eligible but not referred for clinic enrollment. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The study identified a total of 150 patients for inclusion (n = 54 intervention group; n = 96 control group). The study observed a statistically significant difference for the primary endpoint of combined 1- and 3-month MOUD/MAUD retention rates as measured by a continuous, multiple-interval measure of medication acquisition (CMA) of ER naltrexone and BUP/NAL for the intervention group vs. control group (1-month: 77.3% vs. 56.8%, p = 0.004; 3-month: 71.4% vs. 48%, p = 0.0002). When analyzed by study medication, we also observed a statistically significant improvement in continuous use of ER naltrexone for those enrolled in the clinic (1-month: 71.4% vs. 45.9%, p = 0.01; 3-month: 66.7% vs. 34.4%, p = 0.0003). The study did not observe any statistically significant improvements for BUP/NAL (1-month: 87.1% vs. 75.8%, p = 0.13; 3-month: 79.4% vs. 68.5%, p = 0.24) or establishment with a BUP/NAL clinic (90.5% vs. 80% patients established, p = 0.46). Likewise, the study did not observe any statistically significant differences for combined emergency department (ED) visits (1-month: 24.1% vs.17.1% patients with ED visit, p = 0.40; 3-month: 31.5% vs. 29.2% patients with ED visit, p = 0.85) or hospitalizations (1-month: 9.3% vs. 14.6% re-hospitalization, p = 0.45; 3-month: 14.8% vs. 26% re-hospitalization, p = 0.15) for those in the intervention group vs. the control group. Overall, the study observed statistically and clinically significant improvements in MOUD/MAUD retention rates for patients enrolled in a pharmacist-led SUD transitions of care telephone clinic.