Accessibility and affordability in OUD treatment

1. Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)

   • MAT, especially with buprenorphine/naloxone, is effective for OUD but has historically faced barriers such as:
     • Training requirements for physicians to prescribe it.
     • Limits on the number of patients physicians can treat.
   • Recent legal changes, including advocacy efforts, have helped expand access to these treatments as part of a response to the growing opioid crisis. 

2. Stigma and education

   • Stigma related to opioid use is a significant barrier, preventing people from seeking help.
   • Orexo's education efforts aim to reduce stigma by informing both patients and healthcare providers about OUD and the benefits of MAT, specifically the company´s drug Zubsolv®.
   • The company conducted over 45,000 engagements (visits, calls, digital meetings) in 2023 to educate healthcare professionals, making it a key player in promoting MAT.

3. Collaboration with policymakers and stakeholders

   • Orexo collaborates with policy makers, advocates, and community groups to ensure access to medications, focusing on federal and state-level policies that promote treatment availability.

4. Affordability and vulnerable populations

   • Orexo offers financial assistance programs, providing free products to individuals at or below the US poverty line, ensuring that treatment remains accessible even for the most financially vulnerable patients.

Innovations in treatment and access

1. Digital Mental Health Programs

   • Recognizing a shortage of counselors and psychologists, Orexo developed MODIA®, a digital mental health program based on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to offer broader psychosocial support for OUD patients, especially in rural areas. Efforts are ongoing to ensure reimbursement from insurers for digital health tools like MODIA, making them more accessible to patients.

2. Support for Veterans

   • Orexo also supports veterans suffering from depression through the Veterans Affairs (VA) network, offering another digital mental health program, Deprexis®. As the company has faced thresholds to get the product in the hands of patients a collaboration was established with an external company in 2023 aiming to provide easier access to this program for veterans and their families. 
     
     
3. Overdose rescue medication
   • Many with OUD are at risk getting an overdose. Today most of the fatal overdoses are caused by fentanyl which is widely spread in the US. In 2023 Orexo filed OX124 with the FDA. OX124 is a high-dose naloxone rescue medication designed to revive people who has got an overdose by misusing fentanyl.

4. Opioid crisis funding

   • In 2023, USD 54 billion in abatement funds was distributed across all US states, sourced from damages paid by opioid manufacturers. This funding is meant to expand treatment access.
   • Orexo actively engaged with state representatives to promote MATCore, a program that collects Orexo’s OUD treatment options, with a particular focus on marginalized populations.