Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Apple Tree Partners company, announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted a Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) code, or permanent J-code, for Probuphine, the first and only six-month buprenorphine implant for the maintenance treatment of opioid addiction. The new J-code (J0570) became effective January 1, 2017 and coincides with the activation of a new field force to drive the next phase of Probuphine adoption.

“With patients and providers urgently needing access to evidence-based treatment for opioid addiction, we are pleased that CMS granted a J-code for Probuphine,” said Behshad Sheldon, president and CEO, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals. “We anticipate that the new code and our expanded commercial team will advance adoption of Probuphine and broaden access for appropriate patients with opioid use disorder.”

HCPCS codes are used by healthcare professionals to identify services and procedures for which they bill public or private health insurance programmes. The codes included in the HCPCS set, which is based on the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology, are maintained by CMS and universally accepted by all payers.

Probuphine is the only six-month treatment for opioid dependence that delivers buprenorphine continuously using Titan Pharmaceuticals’ ProNeura technology. Probuphine is placed under the skin of the upper arm during a short outpatient office procedure and is removed in a similar manner. Probuphine is available through a closed distribution system.

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, an Apple Tree Partners company, is a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company delivering individualized medicine in neuroscience.