-
NIDA HIV Seminar Series: Let’s talk PrEP! Oct. 23, 1pm ET (virtual)
Questions about HIV PrEP and how it relates to people with substance use disorders? The NIDA HIV Research Program has invited some HIV clinical research experts and people living with HIV and substance use disorders to join us in our next virtual Seminar, “Let’s Talk PrEP”, October 23rd, 1-2:30 pm. The seminar includes Drs. Rupa Patel from Whitman-Walker Health and the CDC; Dr. Jaimie Meyer from Yale, and Dr. Hansel Tookes from the University of Miami. Register for the webinar here!
-
Recommended Resource: Facts About Fentanyl (Addiction Policy Forum)
As fentanyl continues to impact communities at an unprecedented rate, understanding its potency and dangers is critical to reducing harm. By raising awareness and promoting life-saving measures like naloxone, we can work toward preventing overdoses and saving lives. This new video explainer from the Addiction Policy Forum highlights the increase of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, overdose risks, the increase in counterfeit pills containing fentanyl nationwide, and the importance of naloxone access and overdose prevention education. The video is available in English as well as in multiple additional languages.
-
News: U.S. Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands of Lives (NPR)
NPR Exclusive: U.S. Overdose Deaths Plummet, Saving Thousands Of Lives. According to NPR (9/18, Mann, 3.69M), state level public health data, “for the first time in decades,” may point to “a sudden and hopeful drop in drug overdose deaths across the US.” University of North Carolina researcher Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta posted data he said show that “in the states that have the most rapid data collection systems, we’re seeing declines of twenty percent, thirty percent.” NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow called the decline “exciting,” adding, “This looks real. This looks very, very real.” Volkow said, “Expansion of naloxone and medications for opioid use disorder – these strategies worked.” NPR adds that CDC survey data previously showed “an unprecedented decline in drug deaths of roughly 10.6 percent.” For more information, check out the Opioid Data Lab blog post, “Are overdoses down and why?”
-
Recording available! CTN TH&TM SIG: California Contingency Management Project
Did you miss September’s Telehealth & Telemedicine SIG meeting? No worries, the recording from this presentation is now available in the CTN Dissemination Library! Lessons Learned from Implementation of the California Contingency Management Pilot Presenters: Thomas E. Freese, PhD, and Darren Urada, PhD More than half of individuals admitted for specialty substance use disorder treatment in California identify stimulants as their primary or secondary drug, yet many people who use stimulants do not seek treatment. Numerous studies have shown that contingency management (CM) is the most effective treatment for stimulant use disorder. California’s innovative Recovery Incentives Program is a groundbreaking initiative that benefits California and serves as a potential blueprint for other states. In this webinar, Drs. Freese and Urada will delve into the program’s achievements and challenges by providing an overview of the Program, and preliminary quantitative and qualitative evaluation findings. Presenters will talk about the connection to technology and the potential for telehealth implementation in the future. Time will be provided for Q&A and discussion with the audience. Check out the recording here!
-
CTN Primary Care SIG Meeting: OUD Treatment in Primary Care (Sept. 23, 12pm ET)
Join the CTN Primary Care SIG for their next meeting, featuring Linda Zittleman, MSPH, and Don Nease, Jr., MD (both of University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Family Medicine), talking about: The Odyssey of HOMER: lessons from a pragmatic trial on opioid use disorder treatment in primary care.” September 23, 202412-1pm EST Linda Zittleman, MSPHSenior InstructorHigh Plains Research Network DirectorUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Family Medicine Don Nease, Jr. MDDirector of Community Engagement & Health EquityColorado Clinical & Translational Sciences InstituteProfessor and Green-Edelman Chair for Practice-Based ResearchUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Department of Family Medicine Join the webinar here (no registration required; passcode 291918) Interested in presenting at a future Primary Care SIG meeting? Email Joe LeMaster at jlemaster@kumc.edu or Sebastian Tong at setong@uw.edu
-
New from CTN-0080: PATHS Toolkit about OUD and Pregnancy Now Available!
The CTN-0080 (MOMs) team has developed a set of dissemination materials around messaging for medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in pregnant and postpartum individual, now available on the CTN Dissemination Library website! The Prenatal Action for Taking Health Steps (PATHS) Toolkit includes flyers, info sheets, posters, an education video, and social media images and short videos (“Reels”), all available for download and sharing. There’s also a discussion guide that can be used to direct conversations about MOUD in pregnant/postpartum people either in a group or individual settings, as well as a set of external links and resources that can be helpful to the public. The materials are available in two versions so far — one for the general public and one that has been culturally adapted for American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Spanish translations are also coming soon! Check out the PATHS Toolkit here!
-
Protocol Update: CTN-0100 (RDD)
On August 30, 2024, the CTN-0100 study reached our goal of 950 BUP randomizations in the Retention Phase of the study! This momentous milestone marked the end of recruitment for this phase. The first randomization occurred on June 10, 2021, and as of September 16, 2024 there have 1,139 randomizations overall (951 BUP, 188 Vivitrol). Additionally, five sites achieved their original recruitment goal and three sites reached or surpassed 100 overall randomizations. The Lead Investigators and Project Team express sincere appreciation to the 18 study sites for their unwavering dedication and commitment to this endeavor over the past several years. As we continue to focus on the Discontinuation Phase of the study, with only 70 SL-BUP randomizations remaining, we reflect on our collective knowledge and eagerly anticipate the attainment of yet another study milestone!
-
News from the Appalachian Node
Laura Lander, MSW, AADC, co-PI of the CTN Appalachian Node and an associate professor in the West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience, was recently appointed to the statewide expert panel of the West Virginia First Foundation. In the appointment, Lander will be part of a comprehensive group of six experts that assist the Foundation’s board in making financial decisions regarding strategies for abating the opioid epidemic in local communities around the state. “I am honored to have been chosen for the expert panel and entrusted with making decisions on how best to help the people of West Virginia most impacted by the addiction epidemic. The impacts of addiction are far reaching, affecting individuals, families and entire communities. The WV First Foundation monies can make a huge impact on healing and rebuilding communities and increasing access to recovery resources including evidence-based treatment. Making sure people’s basic needs are met for healthy food, safe housing and access to quality healthcare must be our starting points,” said Lander. Lander’s effective date begins August 2, 2024 and runs through at least December 31, 2024 with the possibility of reappointment. The West Virginia First Foundation was established to oversee and distribute the majority of the state’s opioid settlements won in lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors.
-
New in the Library (August-September 2024)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for August – September 2024 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Barriers and Facilitators to Implementing Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Community Hospitals. Shearer R, et al. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment 2024 (in press). (CTN-0098) A Scoping Review of Social Determinants of Health’s Impact on Substance Use Disorders Over the Life Course. Lin C, et al. Journal of Substance Use & Addiction Treatment 2024 (in press). Impact of COVID-19 on MOUD Retention in a Sample of Rural Primary Care Patients: A Secondary Analysis of Electronic Health Records. Calhoun S, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports 2024;12:100276. (CTN-0102) Association of Initial Opioid Prescription Duration and an Opioid Refill by Pain Diagnosis: Evidence from Outpatient Settings in Ten US Health Systems. Nguyen AP, et al. Preventive Medicine 2024;179:107828. (CTN-0084) Learning Optimal Dynamic Treatment Regimes from Longitudinal Data. Williams NT, et al. American Journal of Epidemiology 2024 (in press). Sociodemographic and Patient Reported Outcomes by Racial and Ethnicity Status Among Participants in a Randomized Controlled Trial for Methamphetamine Use Disorder. Okafor CN, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence Reports 2024;11:100230. (CTN-0068) Offering Nurse Care Management for Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care: Impact on Emergency and Hospital Utilization in a Cluster-Randomized Implementation Trial. Bobb JF, et al. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2024;261:111350. (CTN-0074) Trauma Prevalence and Its Association With Health-Related Quality of Life in Pregnant Persons with Opioid Use Disorder. Winhusen TJ,…
-
News from the PNW Node: Videos & Factsheets about XR-Injectable Buprenorphine
Buprenorphine is one of three medications (methadone and naltrexone being the other two) approved for use to treat opioid use disorder. It is available as a film or tablet, and more recently as two long-acting extended-release injectables. Sublocade™ was first to be approved by the FDA in November 2017. More recently, in May 2023, Brixadi™ received approval. In January 2024 it was added to the WA state Medicaid formulary. Fewer clinicians have experience using Brixadi™ than Sublocade™. The CTN Pacific Northwest Node has developed a set of videos and information sheets to help prescribers in their conversations with patients interested in these buprenorphine options. The videos (which are also available in an audio-only podcast format) cover the basics of extended-release buprenorphine, settings & access to medication, who could benefit, the different formulations that are available, how to get patients started, and provider and patient experiences. Find the complete set of educational materials here!
