Braeburn Employees Pledge to Reduce Substance Use Disorder Stigma

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. – October 30, 2019 – As part of an ongoing commitment to reduce the stigma associated with opioid use disorder, Braeburn employees pledged to use non-stigmatizing, person-first language when referring to substance use, substance use disorders, recovery, and other related topics. Braeburn is the first biopharmaceutical company to receive professional training and proactively pledge to reduce stigma through the use of language in conversation and corporate materials.

“Offering additional medications alone will not encourage more people with opioid use disorder to seek treatment and initiate recovery,” said Paul Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer of Braeburn. “We believe that we can help increase access and decrease barriers due to the stigma associated with opioid use disorder and medication treatment by creating materials and participating in conversations using non-stigmatizing language, both as a company and as individuals.”

In a recent presentation at Braeburn during a company-wide Recovery Month event, Robert Ashford, MSW, recovery scientist and researcher, discussed the evidence of negative bias associated with stigmatizing terms as opposed to the positive benefits associated with person-first and non-stigmatizing language that should be used in daily conversation, corporate materials and branding. Braeburn employees learned how to approach various stakeholders with the goal of educating on the effects of language and serving as an example for reducing stigma.

According to the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health, of the 2 million people surveyed who met the criteria for an opioid use disorder, approximately 1.2 million received medication for addiction treatment. Respondents to the same survey found that for people who needed and perceived a need for treatment but did not receive it, 16% believed that the stigma of treatment would negatively affect their job and 15% believed that the stigma would negatively affect the opinion of their neighbors and community..

Braeburn is committed to increasing available options for healthcare providers to treat patients with opioid use disorder and decreasing the barriers that prevent patients from entering treatment, starting the recovery process, and reengaging with their families and communities.

About Braeburn

Braeburn is dedicated to delivering solutions for people living with the serious, often fatal consequences of opioid use disorder. Our mission is to advance next-generation therapies, with individualized dosing regimens and delivery options, to address the escalating disease burden of opioid use disorder faced by patients, healthcare providers, payers and society. For more information about Braeburn, please visit https://braeburnrx.com.

For additional information:

Colleen Saltmer: csaltmer@braeburnrx.com