After extended-release buprenorphine became available for treating opioid use disorder (OUD) in Massachusetts in 2018, the number of people receiving it increased from 135 in 2018 to to 4,742 in 2023, according to a recent study. During those same years, the number of people receiving non–extended-release buprenorphine decreased from 54,956 to 51,768. The researchers concluded that there is increasing access and acceptability of extended-release formulations of buprenorphine among people with OUD in the state. To reduce opioid overdose deaths and other consequences of OUD, further research on improving access and acceptability of all effective medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is needed, the researchers stated. 

Most consumers who received long-acting buprenorphine each year (between 71% and 89%) had also received the regular, short-acting version during the same year. The pattern suggested physicians were following recommended guidelines to start consumers on regular buprenorphine before switching them to the extended-release form, the researchers concluded. 

For this report, the researchers analyzed data from the Massachusetts Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) to identify all buprenorphine prescriptions dispensed between 2018 and 2023 (the most recent data available). The researchers grouped prescriptions by type of buprenorphine product (tablets, films, patches, injections), whether it was extended-release or regular formulation, and by consumer age and gender. Records for a total of 114,669 people were included in the analysis. 

These findings were presented in Trends in Extended-Release and Non–Extended-Release Buprenorphine Dispensing, by Thomas J. Stopka, Ph.D., MHS; Netrali Dalvi, MPH; Leonard D. Young, MS; and colleagues. According to the study, the goal was to assess extended-release buprenorphine and non-extended-release buprenorphine dispensing trends in Massachusetts from 2018 to 2023. 

The full text of Trends in Extended-Release and Non–Extended-Release Buprenorphine Dispensing was published on April 4, 2025, by JAMA Network Open. A free copy is available (accessed August 28, 2025). 

For more information, contact: Thomas J. Stopka, Ph.D., MHS, Professor, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02111; Email: Thomas.Stopka@tufts.edu; Website: https://medicine.tufts.edu/people/faculty/thomas-stopka