The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) discontinued buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone®) 2mg/500microgram and 8mg/2mg sublingual tablets on Monday 5 January 2026.

Actions for prescribers

• Do not initiate new patients on Suboxone® sublingual tablets 
• Review patients currently on Suboxone® sublingual tablets and consider appropriateness of prescribing buprenorphine sublingual tablets or buprenorphine oral lyophilisate (Espranor®) ensuring to:
  • select appropriate dose regimen
  • titrate accordingly
  • check patients are not intolerant to any of the excipients and are counselled on the switch and dosing regimen; and 
  • monitor patients for symptoms of overdose/withdrawal.

If there are concerns about the individual not taking medication as prescribed or diversion, consider the use of supervised dispensing or long-acting buprenorphine injections.

Clinicians should refer to the Specialist Pharmacy Service Medicines Shortage Tool MSN/2026/002 for the full supporting information. 

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