UNATHORIZED BUPREN COMPOUNDING IN US
In a CSAT letter dated 3 April the Director warns that "certain pharmacies may be compounding and selling buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone combination products in various strengths, colors, and flavors."
CSAT states that the only buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone products that are authorized are Subutex and Suboxone, produced by Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceutical (RBPI) Other formulations "present potentially serious public health and safety issues," and that "the use of unapproved buprenorphine products circumvents the public health purpose of the [RBPI] Risk Management Program." It is not clear what physicians are to do about this problem. Even more perplexing is why DEA seems to be uninvolved. Even if there were no safety issues or circumvention of Risk Management protocols, one would think that DEA would nevertheless move swiftly and decisively against the pharmacies imnvolved.
posted by RGNewman, MD @ 2:00 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Why? I buy buprenorphine for pain compounded by a pharmacy at a third of the cost that the pharmacy charges for Subutex. Why on earth should pharmacies NOT be allowed to compound it, other than the fact that it decreases potential profits to the damned drug companies.
Screw the money mongrels. They are addicted to their money the way I was addicted to painkillers. Now I am paying an average of $6 bucks each for Suboxone tablets - that crazy! The government needs to wake up and make Buprenorphine a C-IV instead of C-III and allow generic manufacturing of it as well. And allow ANY licensed Dr. to prescribe it! I don't mind one bit that it has Naloxone in it either, I just hate craving painkillers and getting ripped off for being addicted.
In FL we get Suboxone compounded at the free clinic. They do it right there and make them into Gummies(Watermelon,Grape,Cherry,) and its on $1.80 per suboxone. But im back on the methadone train way cheaper and helps my pain more than subs.
Good luck everyone
Little Biggs
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