Leveraging pharmacists to maintain and extend buprenorphine supply for opioid use disorder amid COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: Strategies for deploying clinical pharmacists to increase access to buprenorphine in inpatient, outpatient and transitional care, and community practice settings are described.

Summary: Access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is essential, but patients face many barriers when pursuing treatment and MOUD. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compounded the opioid crisis and worsened outcomes by introducing new barriers to MOUD access. Many strategies to ensure continued access to MOUD have been described, but the role of leveraging pharmacists during the opioid/COVID-19 syndemic to improve medication access and outcomes remains underappreciated. Pharmacists, while both qualified and capable of liberalizing access to all forms of MOUD, may have the strongest impact by increasing access to buprenorphine. Herein, we present progressive strategies to maintain and extend buprenorphine access for patients with OUD through deployment of clinical pharmacists, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which access may be further restricted.

Conclusion: Leveraging pharmacists to extend access to MOUD, particularly buprenorphine, remains an underutilized strategy that should be implemented, particularly during the concurrent COVID-19 global pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; buprenorphine; opiate substitution treatment; opioid epidemic; opioid-related disorders; pharmacists.