CANTON, Mass. — Collegium Pharmaceutical, the scrappy upstart taking on the mighty opioid maker Purdue Pharma, is having a moment.
The company recently convinced Cigna, Humana, Navitus, and top health insurers in Florida and Pennsylvania to cover only its product Xtampza — and not Purdue’s infamous OxyContin — for most patients prescribed the long-acting opioid known to scientists as oxycodone. Earlier this month came another win: The Food and Drug Administration agreed to let Collegium update Xtampza’s label to describe data demonstrating that the capsules are harder than OxyContin to abuse when crushed.