Payers addicted to addiction, says Pops, as Alkermes shows sustained opiate abstinence
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Alkermes has reported that an open-label extension of its pivotal six-month trial for Vivitrol for opioid dependence, in combination with counselling, shows sustained efficacy and safety over 18 months. But sales of the drug, approved in the US since October 2010 to prevent relapse to opioid dependence following opioid detoxification, remain slow. This prompted Alkermes CEO Richard Pops to suggest that part of the problem for Alkermes is that health insurers are hooked on paying for opioid substitutes which maintain, rather than reverse, opioid dependence.