Tapentadol Hcl
Brand name: Nucynta
Rank #324 of 500 drugs by total cost
Data: CMS Medicare Part D, 2023 (most current available) · Updated March 2026
$33.6M
Total Cost
29,886
Total Claims
$33.6M
Total Cost
1,415
Prescribers
$1,124
Cost per Claim
1,241
Beneficiaries
29,933
30-Day Fills
$24K
Avg Cost/Provider
21
Avg Claims/Provider
Share of Medicare Part D Spending
0.01%
of total Medicare Part D spending
$33.6M of $275.65B
Top Prescribers by Cost
Top 10 prescribers of $33.6M total
🔎 Data Overview
At $1,124 per prescription, this is a high-cost medication. Expensive drugs drive Medicare spending growth and create access challenges for patients with coverage gaps.
Average cost of $27,075 per patient per year. Medications at this price point significantly impact patient out-of-pocket costs and Medicare spending.
This is a controlled opioid medication. Opioid prescribing patterns are a key indicator in our fraud risk model. Providers prescribing this drug at significantly higher rates than their specialty peers may warrant closer examination.
Insights generated from CMS data analysis. Statistical patterns are not accusations — always consider clinical context.
Top Prescribers of Tapentadol Hcl
| # | Provider | Specialty | Location | Claims | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irving Haber | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Terre Haute, IN | 428 | $602K |
| 2 | Irving Haber | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | Terre Haute, IN | 226 | $415K |
| 3 | Rachel Boone | Physician Assistant | Asheville, NC | 220 | $264K |
| 4 | Eric Loudermilk | Anesthesiology | Anderson, SC | 176 | $259K |
| 5 | Eric Loudermilk | Anesthesiology | Anderson, SC | 170 | $233K |
| 6 | Mark Phillips | Interventional Pain Management | Greensboro, NC | 105 | $183K |
| 7 | John Lucio | Pain Management | Jefferson City, MO | 111 | $167K |
| 8 | Christa Scheunemann | Nurse Practitioner | Greenfield, WI | 168 | $156K |
| 9 | Nancy Bratanow | Interventional Pain Management | Milwaukee, WI | 96 | $137K |
| 10 | Eric Robinson | Interventional Pain Management | Auburn, AL | 91 | $129K |
| 11 | Brian Jakubowicz | Pain Management | Anderson, SC | 114 | $128K |
| 12 | Christopher Hill | Anesthesiology | Hoover, AL | 94 | $126K |
| 13 | Amanda Zimmerman | Physician Assistant | Winston Salem, NC | 63 | $125K |
| 14 | Amanda Zimmerman | Physician Assistant | Winston Salem, NC | 85 | $125K |
| 15 | Lori Love | Nurse Practitioner | Thomasville, NC | 104 | $124K |
Top prescribers ranked by total cost for this drug in 2023.
Related Drugs by Cost
| # | Drug | Total Cost | Claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| 321 | Dalfampridine (Dalfampridine Er) | $34.1M | 40,425 |
| 322 | Olmesartan Medoxomil (Olmesartan Medoxomil) | $33.8M | 1,102,412 |
| 323 | Niraparib Tosylate (Zejula) | $33.7M | 2,206 |
| 324 | Tapentadol Hcl (Nucynta) | $33.6M | 29,886 |
| 325 | Dorzolamide Hcl/Timolol Maleat (Dorzolamide-Timolol) | $33.5M | 1,096,480 |
| 326 | Morphine Sulfate (Morphine Sulfate Er) | $33.2M | 1,023,056 |
| 327 | Budesonide (Budesonide Dr) | $33.1M | 120,202 |
Related Analysis
Data from CMS Medicare Part D Prescriber-Drug Public Use File, 2023. Methodology