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How much is Belbuca without insurance?

Belbuca costs $472 without insurance. Learn how to get Belbuca at a lower price, or find cheaper alternatives.
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By | Jan. 9, 2023 Medically reviewed by Anne Jacobson, MD, MPH
Rx pill bottles: How much is Belbuca without insurance?

Key takeaways

  • Belbuca is a brand-name, long-acting opioid used for chronic pain. A 30-day supply costs $472 without insurance, and no generic options are available.

  • Many insurance plans cover Belbuca but may be placed in high copayment tiers. No manufacturer coupons or patient assistance programs are available.

  • If you don’t have insurance, you can save on Belbuca by using a SingleCare prescription discount card, shopping for lower prices, and considering insurance or Medicaid.

  • Alternatives for long-term opioid treatment include generic buprenorphine skin patches, transdermal fentanyl patches, Oxycontin, and MS Contin.

In this article:

Belbuca is a brand-name long-acting opioid partial agonist used for chronic pain relief. Belbuca delivers a steady but low dose of  buprenorphine, helping to relieve pain while lowering some of the risks of long-term opioid use. It’s also less likely to cause life-threatening problems such as respiratory depression. Each Belbuca buccal film is placed against the inside of the cheek. The film gradually releases buprenorphine into the cheek’s blood vessels. After 12 hours, the film is removed and replaced by another. This delivery system is patented, so there are no generic versions that deliver buprenorphine in the same way. Additionally, there are no effective over-the-counter analgesics or supplements that are effective substitutes for people with chronic pain requiring opioid treatment. Cash-paying patients still have a few options to save money.

What is the generic for Belbuca?

There is no available generic version of Belbuca. However, the active ingredient, buprenorphine, can be prescribed as a generic in other formats such as tablets or injections. These formats are not FDA-approved for the long-term treatment of chronic pain. People prescribed Belbuca do have at least one treatment option similar to Belbuca that is also FDA-approved for long-term chronic pain relief: generic buprenorphine skin patches. Like Belbuca, these transdermal patches slowly release buprenorphine into the body through the skin. Unfortunately, the retail price is about the same as Belbuca.

Is Belbuca covered by insurance?

Belbuca is covered by many health insurance plans, Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, and Medicaid plans. Basic plans are less likely to cover Belbuca. The cost with insurance may be high. Insurance companies tend to place Belbuca in their highest drug tiers or their non-preferred drug tier, so the copay responsibility will be higher than generic drugs. 

How much does Belbuca cost without insurance?

The average retail price for a 30-day supply of Belbuca is $472. That will purchase 60 films, two per day. At that price, one day of Belbuca treatment costs about $17. Since Belbuca is intended for long-term use, a person taking Belbuca for a year will pay over $5,500. Keep in mind that Belbuca’s price will vary depending on the dosage strength, which can range from as little as 75 mcg to 900 mcg per buccal film. At the highest dosage strength, Belbuca could cost over $12,000 annually. 

Generic buprenorphine tablets are priced much lower but they are not FDA-approved for long-term use. There are buprenorphine transdermal patches, but these cost about the same as Belbuca. The prescribing healthcare professional can prescribe long-acting opioids that are much lower in price than Belbuca. These include transdermal fentanyl patches, Oxycontin (extended-release oxycodone), and MS Contin (extended-release morphine). However, each of these medications works in a slightly different way from Belbuca and comes with its own set of risks and side effects, so you will need to work with your healthcare provider to find the one that is right for you.
Drug name Price without insurance of brand-name drug  SingleCare price Savings options
Belbuca $472 per 1, 60 film of 150 mcg $73 per 1, 60 film of 150 mcg generic Belbuca See latest prices
Buprenorphine $72 per 10, 8 mg sublingual tablets $9 per 10, 8 mg sublingual tablets of generic buprenorphine See latest prices
Butrans

(buprenorphine)

 $589 for 4 patches $158 for 4 patches of 10 mcg/hr brand-name Butrans See latest prices
Oxycodone HCl ER $119 per 100, 10 mg tablets $81 per 100, 10 mg tablets of generic oxycodone HCl ER See latest prices
Fentanyl transdermal $161 per 2, 5 package 72 hour patches $4 per 2, 5 package 72 hour patches of generic fentanyl transdermal See latest prices
MS Contin

(morhine sulfate ER)

 $469 per 90, 15 mg tablets $17 per 60, 15 mg tablets of brand-name MS Contin See latest prices
Nucynta ER $1262 per 60, 100 mg tablets $867 per 60, 100 mg tablets of brand-name Nucynta ER See latest prices

Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs (unless otherwise specified). The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see the latest drug prices.

How to get Belbuca without insurance

At $470 a month, paying for Belbuca month after month may create a few challenges. Even people with insurance may find themselves having to pay full price for Belbuca because of coverage denials. At this time, the manufacturer does not offer a patient assistance program or manufacturer coupons to help the uninsured, so these are not an option to save money. Fortunately, that doesn’t exhaust all the possibilities. The first place to find savings is by using a SingleCare prescription discount card.

1. Save $400 on Belbuca every month with a SingleCare savings card

The lowest SingleCare discount price for a 30-day supply of Belbuca is $73. That’s $400 less than the normal retail price. A year’s worth of SingleCare savings on Belbuca will add up to $4,800. Discount prices will vary depending on the participating pharmacy. Find a list of convenient local pharmacies and their SingleCare discounts on SingleCare’s Belbuca coupons page.

2. Shop for the lowest price

The lowest pharmacy price for a 30-day supply of Belbuca is almost $200 less than the normal retail price. With a difference like that, simply calling local pharmacies to compare prices could net over $2,000 in savings on a year’s worth of Belbuca.

3. Consider health insurance

Anyone with a long-term medical condition should consider health insurance. When the premiums and out-of-pocket costs associated with health insurance are balanced against the cash price of prescription medications and medical services, health insurance may be the better deal. 

4. Look into Medicaid

If health insurance and medical costs are simply unaffordable, Medicaid may be an option. As government-subsidized health insurance, Medicaid’s premiums, copays, and other out-of-pocket costs will be minimal or nothing. Visit Medicaid.gov for eligibility requirements, enrollment forms, and any additional information that might be helpful.

5. Ask the prescriber about other long-term opioid treatment options

Several extended-release opioid analgesics have been FDA-approved for long-term use, including Oxycontin (extended-release oxycodone), MS Contin (extended-release morphine), and transdermal fentanyl patches. These drugs differ in some ways from Belbuca. For the most part, their effectiveness and common side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, and constipation are the same as Belbuca. All these drugs, including Belbuca, can cause dependency or withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your prescriber to discuss important safety information. Asking your healthcare provider for medical advice about lower-cost treatment options is an important step in finding the right medication for you.

 

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