Rationalising which patches to prescribe and dispense
Buprenorphine patches come in different strengths and not all manufacturers produce
all strengths. Some manufacturers provide dispensing doctor discounts. The 37,4mcg,
52mcg and 70mcg patches all come in packs of 4 and there are 5 brands available. In
2022/23 alone 98,000 prescriptions for 736,000 patches were issued for these strength
Buprenorphine patches. The following brands are available – Bupeaze, Carlosafine,
Hapoctasin, Relevtec and Transtec and they all offer the 3 strengths.
To complicate matters, for product specific discounts, AAH only offer discounts on
Bupeaze. Alliance offers no discounts and PSUK offer discounts on all Bupeaze and
Relvetec.
Most brands will provide a much greater profit if prescribed generically and a discounted
brand is dispensed. To see the profitability of all the brands and strengths, please go to
the Brand Comparison Members’ only section of the Dispex website.
