17 Days After FDA Approval, First Patients Receive Anti-Opioid Implant

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals announces that 10 patients have already been treated with the Probuphine (buprenorphine) Implant, making them the first people in the United States to receive this new medication that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 26, 2016.
 
Dr. Steven Chavoustie, of the Segal Institute for Clinical Research in Miami, Florida; Dr. Mike Frost, medical director, Eagleville Hospital in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania; Dr. Marc Maskowitz, Paincare Medical Practice in Sacramento, California and Dr. Matthew Torrington, Los Angeles, California were the first doctors to implant Probuphine since approval.
 
To date, more than 1,100 healthcare providers in 44 states have been certified to provide this new medication to patients. More than 5,000 healthcare providers have requested additional information on Probuphine training and will have the opportunity to participate in one of 252 training sessions in 55 U.S. cities this summer, bringing the total number of certified physicians to more than 2,000 by the end of July and a total of more than 4,000 healthcare providers by the end of 2016. 
 
“The Braeburn team is relentlessly focused on healthcare provider implant training and insurance reimbursement in order to ensure swift access to Probuphine for patients,” said President and CEO Behshad Sheldon, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals. “We hope the Probuphine Healthcare Provider Locator on ProbuphineREMS.com will make it simpler for patients to find treating physicians in their area.”
 
“The large number of qualified healthcare providers signing up for the Probuphine trainings is proof that the medical community sees the potential this new option may offer their patients,” said Dr. Chavoustie who collaborated with the FDA to finalize the training program on the procedures. “Prior to attending the training sessions, many of the participating healthcare providers surveyed their patients currently stable on low to moderate doses of oral buprenorphine and found that they share the same excitement that Probuphine is now available.”
 
Insurers have also expressed strong interest in discussing how they would provide coverage for Probuphine. Several BCBS plans as well as United Healthcare were among those that approved reimbursement for the first patients implanted.
 
Qualified healthcare providers that are interested in attending a certification course in their area can register at www.probuphineREMS.com or by calling 1-866-397-8939. Patients can locate certified healthcare providers in their area that have been certified to implant patients by using the physician locator at www.probuphineREMS.com.