naabt masthead for buprenorphine site

The National Alliance of Advocates
for Buprenorphine Treatment

Buprenorphine (Suboxone®, Subutex®3, Zubsolv®4, Bunavail™5, Probuphine®6) is an opioid medication used to treat opioid addiction in the privacy of a physician's office.1 Buprenorphine can be dispensed for take-home use, by prescription.1 This, in addition to the pharmacological and safety profile of buprenorphine, makes it an attractive treatment for patients addicted to opioids.2

Ohio Physicians – more rules coming

If you provide buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid addiction, you are about to be subject to more rules. unless you act by April 16, 2014.

Ohio is proposing to micromanage your practice. Here’s just some of what is proposed:

There's much more to it. You can read about it here: Ohio proposed buprenorphine Rules (scroll to end)

Some of these rules are things you do already. Opposition to these rules doesn't mean we necessarily disagree with them, only that we disagree with it being mandated. Individual circumstances may require a deviation form the norm and it shouldn't be illegal to do so.

Like similar legislation and regulation it misdiagnoses the cause of diversion, then applies a remedy based on this misunderstanding which ironically, and tragically, will actually exacerbate the problem.

Please do not let legislators make these critical decisions about, therapy, peer support and drug testing for you and your patients. No single plan is right for everyone. Contact your representatives and newspapers and stop this before it drives more people to self-medicate rather than seek professional help.

We will update this page as we get more information.

Contact Ohio State Medical Board

Governor John Kasich
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6117

This page was last modified on : 04/22/2014

The Purpose of Buprenorphine Treatment:

To suppress the debilitating symptoms of cravings and withdrawal, enabling the patient to engage in therapy, counseling and support, so they can implement positive long-term changes in their lives which develops into the new healthy patterns of behavior necessary to achieve sustained addiction remission. - explain -

The National Alliance of Advocates for Buprenorphine Treatment is a non-profit organization charged with the mission to:

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA Talk Paper, T0238, October 8, 2002, Subutex and Suboxone approved to treat opiate dependence.
  2. Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Clinical Guidelines for the Use of Buprenorphine in the Treatment of Opioid Addiction. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 40. DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 04-3939. Rockville, Md: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2004.
  3. Subutex Discontinued in the US market in late 2011.
  4. Zubsolv (bup/nx sublingual tablet) FDA approved 7/3/2013 see buprenorphine pipeline graphic -in pharmacies now.
  5. Bunavail (bup/nx bucal film) FDA approved 6/6/2014 see buprenorphine pipeline graphic -in pharmacies now.
  6. Probuphine FDA approved 5/26/2016 - FDA Probuphine press release