Buprenorphine is a partial agonist with an action time of 6 hours and can be given orally. Which option best matches this?

• A. Butorphanol
• B. Buprenorphine
• C. Naloxone
• D. Methadone

Answer: (B)

Opioid drug profiles hinge on three practical traits: whether the drug is a partial agonist at the mu receptor, how long its analgesic effect lasts, and whether it can be given by mouth. A partial agonist activates the mu receptor but with a ceiling effect, meaning it provides analgesia with a lower risk of severe respiratory depression compared with full agonists. The described profile—about 6 hours of action and oral administration—fits buprenorphine precisely. It is a classic partial mu-agonist with a relatively long duration of effect and is effectively given orally (including sublingually), which makes it very versatile for analgesia. The other options don’t align with this combined picture: a mixed agonist-antagonist or full agonists don’t capture the same ceiling effect and duration, and an antagonist would provide no analgesia.