Patient Access to Buprenorphine at Community Pharmacies: A Scoping Review of Audit Studies

This scoping review aims to synthesize audit studies assessing the availability of buprenorphine and buprenorphine/naloxone in US community pharmacies and to identify barriers patients face in accessing this treatment for Opioid Use Disorder. The findings reveal that buprenorphine availability ranges from 31% to 70%, with lower access in nonmetropolitan and independent pharmacies, highlighting the need for strategies to enhance pharmacy-based access to this critical medication. The authors also call for standardized audit methodologies to improve the comparability of future research.