New Generic Suboxone Strip to Cost Less – If It Makes it to Market

Suboxone – a medication used to treat opioid use disorder – is sadly inaccessible to a lot of people due to one simple factor: COST $$$

But that’s about to change.

Last month, a supplier of generic drugs – Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories – was allowed by a Delaware Court to produce a generic version of the costly drug. It’s a ruling which could potentially save countless lives, because many people suffering from substance abuse don’t have insurance, or if they do, their insurers don’t cover the cost of Suboxone films.

The generic name for Suboxone is buprenorphine-naloxone. Suboxone films tend to run about nine or ten dollars per strip – added together, a month of this medication gets pricey, especially without insurance. This unaffordable sum blocks access to medication assisted treatment for people in desperate need of help. Despite this, Suboxone manufacturers, Indivior, have until this recent court decision had a monopoly on the drug.

Big Pharma Fights Back

In response to this ruling, Indivior CEO Shaun Thaxter said: “Today’s news is disappointing to Indivior, given the belief that the Company has in its intellectual property for Suboxone Film…We will appeal the ruling and defend our intellectual property….As always, our unwavering focus is on addressing the unmet needs of opioid dependent patients. On behalf of the millions of patients who struggle to overcome opioid addiction, the majority of whom need help but go untreated, we remain relentless in our pursuit to transform addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated disease.” (source: drugabuse)

With Generic Suboxone Tablet Pricing Dropping, Does it Really Matter?

Over the past few months (April 2018 – August 2018) the pricing of the generic Suboxone tablets has dropped substantially. The savings on these generic Suboxone tablets has actually made getting clean possible for many who previously could not genuine afford Suboxone strips, Bunavail strips, or Zubsolv tablets.

The recent price-drop has come due to the fact that there are now two manufacturers producing a generic Suboxone tablet. One is orange, and one is white. This is most likely exactly the reason the FDA is pushing to get another addiction-fighting “strip” into the market – to help push the price down and help more people who are addicted. (source: apnews)

“Recovery isn’t cheap. Just a few years ago people were spending between $700 and $1000 per month for their recovery visits and medications combined. The generic tablets have changed the game substantially, since they cost roughly one-third the cost of brand-name Suboxone strips. We’re doing everything we can to make recovery more-affordable for our patients at Nashville Recovery. We’ve lowered the monthly appointment cost, added a $200 entry program, and are even able to offer two weeks of free medication to our new patients. Adding a cheaper, generic Suboxone strip would help our patients that much more”, according to Drew Bourke, managing partner at Nashville Recovery.

If you or someone you know is battling addiction, there is a solution.

Nashville Recovery offers immediate intake appointments every Tuesday and Friday. Get started for as little as $200, total.

Call or text (615) 431-3701, or click the Suboxone Therapy Appointment button lower right.