Cost of pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorders following inpatient detoxification.

This study describes the approach and results of a comprehensive cost analysis of NIDA Clinical Trials Network protocol CTN-0051, Extended-Release Naltrexone vs. Buprenorphine for Opioid Treatment (X:BOT), the first head-to-head randomized clinical trial in the U.S. of extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) and buprenorphine-naloxone (BUP-NX) for preventing opioid relapse. The objective was to provide rigorous estimates of the costs of training, inpatient detoxification, and medication management visits, highlighting the variation in these costs across sites and settings. Results found that providing XR-NTX and BUP-NX to patients receiving inpatient detoxification generates relatively modest costs to the healthcare provider. The average costs per patient were $5,416 for XR-NTX and $4,148 for BUP-NX. Results of the X:BOT cost analysis study provide current practical information on the types of costs incurred by providers, payers, and patients for XR-NTX and BUP-NX, but continued research is needed to understand the costs of medication-assisted treatment as the system continues to evolve.