Abuse of buprenorphine in the United States: 2003-2005

Abstract This study examines trends in the reported abuse of two sublingual buprenorphine products, Subutex® and Suboxone®, in the United States. Quarterly counts of abuse cases were obtained from 18 regional poison control centers (PCCS) for 2003-2005. Seventy-seven abuse cases were reported, of which 7.8 percent involved Subutex®and 92.2 percent involved Suboxone®. The average quarterly ratio of abuse cases per 1,000 prescriptions dispensed was 0.08 (span ± 0.09) for Subutex®, and 0.16 (SD ± 0.08) for Suboxone®. Findings suggest that these sublingual buprenorphine formulations have a low rate of abuse based on toxico-surveillance data.