Sublocade, the once-monthly buprenorphine injection for opioid use disorder, has a list price of $2,202.03 per dose. That price is the same for both the 100 mg and 300 mg strengths, as of January 2026. What you actually pay, though, depends heavily on your insurance, your provider’s billing setup, and whether you qualify for financial assistance.
The List Price vs. What You Pay
The wholesale acquisition cost, essentially the manufacturer’s list price before any discounts, is $2,202.03 per monthly injection regardless of dose. Over a standard first year of treatment (two months at 300 mg, then ten months at 100 mg), that adds up to roughly $26,424 at list price.
Very few people pay the full list price. Most patients have some form of insurance or assistance that significantly reduces out-of-pocket costs. Your actual expense could range from $0 to several hundred dollars per month depending on your plan’s copay or coinsurance structure. Without any coverage, you’re looking at the full $2,202 each month plus a provider fee for administering the injection.
How Insurance Typically Covers Sublocade
Most major commercial insurers cover Sublocade, though many require prior authorization. This means your provider needs to submit documentation showing the medication is medically necessary before your plan will approve it. Some plans also require you to have tried oral buprenorphine (like Suboxone or its generics) first.
Medicare covers buprenorphine injections for opioid use disorder under Part B when administered in a doctor’s office or through an Opioid Treatment Program. If you receive treatment through a Medicare-enrolled Opioid Treatment Program, you won’t owe any copayments, though the Part B deductible still applies. If you get the injection from a regular provider’s office instead, you’ll pay standard Part B copayments and the deductible. Medicare Part D may also cover certain buprenorphine formulations.
Medicaid coverage varies by state, but all state Medicaid programs are required to cover medications for opioid use disorder. If you have both Medicare and Medicaid, you typically pay nothing. For Medicaid-only patients, copays are minimal or nonexistent in most states.
The Administration Fee
Beyond the cost of the drug itself, your provider charges a separate fee for the office visit and injection. Sublocade must be given by a healthcare professional as a subcutaneous injection in the abdomen. It cannot be dispensed for home use. The administration is billed as a standard therapeutic injection, and the office visit itself is billed separately. Together, these fees typically add $50 to $200 to each monthly appointment depending on your location and insurance, though insured patients often pay only a copay for the visit portion.
How It Compares to Daily Oral Buprenorphine
Generic buprenorphine/naloxone film or tablets, the oral medication most people take daily, costs far less on paper. In formulary pricing, a month of generic oral buprenorphine runs roughly $70 to $80 before insurance. Sublocade’s list price is about 28 times higher.
That comparison doesn’t capture the full picture, though. Oral buprenorphine requires daily dosing, monthly prescriptions, and more frequent office visits for monitoring and refills. Sublocade eliminates the daily routine entirely, which for many patients reduces the risk of missed doses, diversion, and relapse. Some insurance plans recognize this and cover Sublocade with comparable out-of-pocket costs to oral formulations, especially when prior authorization criteria are met.
Copay Assistance for Privately Insured Patients
Indivior, the company that makes Sublocade, offers a copay assistance program called INSUPPORT. If you have private commercial insurance that covers at least part of the cost, this program can reduce your remaining copay or coinsurance significantly. The maximum annual benefit is $13,441, which could effectively cover your entire out-of-pocket share for a full year of treatment.
To qualify, you need to:
- Be between 18 and 65 years old
- Have private health insurance that covers some portion of Sublocade
- Live in a state that allows copay assistance
The program is not available to anyone with government insurance, including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, VA benefits, or any other federally funded plan.
Options for Uninsured Patients
If you don’t have insurance at all, the full cost of Sublocade is a serious barrier. Indivior runs a patient assistance program that can provide the medication at no cost to eligible uninsured patients. Income limits apply, and eligibility is generally tied to the federal poverty level, though specific thresholds can change year to year. Contacting the INSUPPORT program directly at the number on the Sublocade website is the fastest way to check whether you qualify.
Some clinics, particularly federally qualified health centers and opioid treatment programs, receive grant funding that covers the cost of medications for uninsured patients. SAMHSA grants and state opioid response funding are common sources. If you’re uninsured and seeking treatment, calling local opioid treatment programs to ask about medication coverage is worth the effort before assuming you’ll face the full list price.
How Your Provider’s Setup Affects Cost
Sublocade reaches you through one of two pathways, and which one your provider uses can affect your billing experience. In the “buy and bill” model, your provider purchases the medication, stores it, administers it, and then bills your insurance for reimbursement. Your copay or coinsurance is collected at the visit, and the drug appears on a medical claim rather than a pharmacy claim.
In the specialty pharmacy model, a pharmacy ships the medication directly to the provider’s office after verifying your insurance and collecting any copay from you beforehand. Your provider still administers the injection but doesn’t purchase or seek reimbursement for the drug itself. This model can sometimes give you more clarity on your out-of-pocket cost before your appointment, since the pharmacy handles the insurance adjudication in advance. It also means smaller clinics don’t have to front over $2,000 per dose, which makes some providers more willing to offer Sublocade in the first place.
Either way, you should ask your provider’s office before your first injection how the medication will be billed and what your expected copay is. Whether the cost hits your medical benefit or pharmacy benefit can change your out-of-pocket amount substantially depending on your plan’s deductible structure.