Suboxone is a key drug for treating opioid use disorder (OUD). Approved for use in the United States since 2002, an estimated one million people are treated with the drug each year to combat OUD. However, Suboxone, which is the brand name for a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, can cause severe dental problems, including tooth decay, tooth loss, and serious infections. In 2022, an FDA tooth decay warning was issued and added to the prescribing information for Suboxone in tablet form. Yet, for many patients, that warning came too late. A new lawsuit filed in September 2023 alleges that the producers of Suboxone, Indivior Inc., failed to warn patients about the serious tooth decay issues caused by buprenorphine, one of the two key ingredients in the drug.
A lawsuit was filed by an Ohio resident in September 2023. It alleged that Indivior Inc. knew about the tooth decay risk of Suboxone and failed to properly warn those taking the drug. More lawsuits were filed in October and November 2023. It’s not known how many Suboxone lawsuits there will be, but millions of Americans have been prescribed the drug over the last two decades, and 100s of reports of Suboxone dental issues have already been reported. In other news related to Suboxone, Indivior Inc. was forced to pay a $385 million settlement due to an antitrust lawsuit that alleged the company blocked competition from generic forms of Suboxone from other manufacturers. This is in addition to another $900 million already paid by Indivior.
Suboxone is the brand name for a compound of two drugs, naloxone and buprenorphine. It is used to treat opioid use disorder. Suboxone has numerous reported side effects, including but not limited to headache, fever, chills, coughing, dizziness, redness of the skin, sweating, back pain, diarrhea, depression, nausea, stomach pain, and sleep issues.
The side effects of buprenorphine can include bladder pain, bloating, muscle spasms, breathing difficulties, dizziness, fever, headache, loss of appetite, weight issues, sleep loss, bleeding, and bruising. Buprenorphine may be administered as a film implanted in the cheek or in tablet form. In tablet form, it seems that tooth decay, tooth loss, tooth infection, and other dental issues can be buprenorphine side effects. Medical journals have reported on the link between tooth decay and buprenorphine since 2012, but it was only the FDA’s warning in 2022 that prompted Indivior to take action.
The reported side effects of naloxone include chest pain, dizziness, stomach pain, nausea, constipation, fever, breathing difficulties, insomnia, swelling, and yawning.
The FDA provided warnings on buprenorphine medications and their link to tooth decay in January 2022. The FDA warning did not specifically mention Suboxone, but it did describe the tooth decay risks of buprenorphine in tablet form (medications that are dissolved in the mouth). Suboxone is a compound of buprenorphine and naloxone. The FDA does not report any link between tooth decay and Suboxone/buprenorphine when administered as a film implant in the cheek. A key aspect of the Suboxone lawsuits is timing. The FDA’s warning came in 2022, twenty years after buprenorphine was given FDA approval as a tablet to treat OUD. The link between Suboxone tablets and dental issues has been widely discussed in medical journals since the early 2010s. Thus, the Suboxone lawsuits ask what Indivior knew about the risks of Suboxone tablets. And if they knew there was a link, why did they fail to warn OUD patients?
The goal of the Suboxone lawsuits will be to secure compensation for those who took the tablets without being informed of the risk to their teeth. Dental issues can be painful, leading to long-term discomfort, and there is also a connection between dental problems and mental health issues. As such, Indivior may be forced to come to a financial settlement with those bringing the Suboxone lawsuits. The amount you could get for a Suboxone settlement payout is unknown at this early stage, but several factors will be weighed for Suboxone compensation payments, including injury, medical expenses, loss of earnings, distress, and so on.
At this stage, it’s too soon to say whether the Suboxone case will be consolidated into a mass tort or class action lawsuit. At the time of writing, the number of lawsuits filed against Indivior numbers in the dozens, but that could increase to hundreds, perhaps thousands. As pointed out earlier, around one million Americans are treated for OUD with Suboxone (2019 figures). If the number of lawsuits rises substantially, they may be consolidated into a mass tort or class action. The former is a means of bundling a large number of cases together for efficiency, although each plaintiff’s circumstances are evaluated on an individual basis when calculating compensation. In a class action, the idea is that a single case represents a large group of people with identical grievances. Each claimant has an equal share in any class action settlement.
If you or a loved one have been prescribed and taken Suboxone tablets, containing both buprenorphine and naloxone, to treat OUD, then you may be eligible to join the Suboxone lawsuit. However, please be aware that you should not stop taking Suboxone – or any other prescribed medication – without first receiving advice from your doctor. Stopping prescribed medication can result in serious injury or death. If you are worried about Suboxone and dental issues, speak to your doctor for more advice.
What is Suboxone?
Suboxone is the brand name for a drug produced by Indivior Inc., a global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Richmond, VA. The drug is made up of two main substances: buprenorphine and naloxone.
What is Suboxone used for?
Suboxone is used to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). It can be used to treat those recovering from heroin (opiate) addiction or painkiller (opioid) addiction.
Is Suboxone addictive?
Suboxone can be addictive and can be abused by some users. Patients can also experience Suboxone withdrawal symptoms.
What is Buprenorphine?
Buprenorphine is a medication classed as an opioid agonist. This means it acts to stimulate opioid receptors in the nervous system to produce results similar to opioid use.
What is Naloxone?
Naloxone is a medication classed as an opioid antagonist, essentially doing the opposite of buprenorphine. Thus, the compound of buprenorphine and naloxone can bring the nervous system into a state of equilibrium by both stimulating the opioid receptors and counteracting the receptor. This stimulus and counter-stimulus is the reason Suboxone is used to treat opioid use disorder (drug addiction).
Can I still apply for Suboxone lawsuit?
Yes. The lawsuit for Suboxone is at an early stage, so you should contact your lawyer if you believe you are eligible to join.
How to join Suboxone class action lawsuit?
If you believe you have a case, you should contact a law firm taking on Suboxone tooth decay clients.
Is there a class action lawsuit on Suboxone?
Not yet, as the lawsuits are at an early stage. It is possible that the lawsuits will become consolidated into a mass tort or class action lawsuit.
What is the Suboxone lawsuit over?
People prescribed Suboxone in the past have filed lawsuits alleging that the manufacturer of the drug, Indivior Inc., failed to warn them that Suboxone tablets could cause serious dental issues.
How do I get my money from a Suboxone lawsuit?
It is possible that Indivior Inc. will choose to settle the lawsuit or will be forced to pay compensation after the lawsuit has been tried in court. At that juncture, anyone who has joined the lawsuit and meets eligibility requirements may receive financial compensation.
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