The following is a summary of “Economic burden and dosing trends of buprenorphine buccal film and transdermal patch in chronic low back pain,” published in the May 2024 issue of Pain by Zah, et al.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate prescribing patterns and economic impact for patients with chronic low back pain (cLBP) treated with either buprenorphine buccal film or transdermal patches.

They analyzed MarketScan® commercial insurance claims (employees and spouses/dependents, 2018–2021), with the first film or patch prescription date as the index event. The study included a 6-month before and a 12-month after the index event.

The results showed that patients were propensity-score matched (708 per cohort). Buprenorphine initiation showed consistent cost patterns in buccal film and rising patterns in transdermal patch cohorts. Significant differences in healthcare expenditures, cost trends, and resource use were observed between cohorts, largely favoring buccal film. The buccal film also featured higher daily doses and a broader dosing range. Patients with cLBP using buccal film incurred lower costs, maintained stable cost trends, and utilized fewer healthcare resources. Moreover, higher daily doses of buprenorphine were received. The findings suggest that buccal film may be a more cost-effective option for patients with cLBP compared to patches, potentially due to its flexible dosing and higher daily doses, which could contribute to improved pain management.

Investigators found that buprenorphine film offered a more cost-effective and adaptable dosing strategy for cLBP compared to transdermal patches.

Source: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17581869.2024.2348989?src=exp-la