What’s New in the CTN?
Updates from the NIDA National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Want to share some news about your protocol, node, publications or presentations, or other CTN-related work here and/or in the CTN Bulletin? Email us at ctnlib@uw.edu!
Submit CPDD Paper/Poster Abstracts to CTN Publications Committee by November 29, 2024
CTN members: The receipt deadline for paper and poster abstracts for the June 2025 CPDD annual meeting is December 27, 2024. The Publication Committee would like to remind authors that presentations and poster abstracts should be submitted to the Publications Committee for prior review and approval at least a month in advance (November 29, 2024) of submission receipt deadline for CPDD. Due to holiday schedules, the PC cannot guarantee that we will be able to review and provide comments if these abstracts are not received by December 11th. Please…
News from the Big South/West Node
The Big South/West Node is pleased to announce that recruitment for CTN-0132 KMD has officially commenced. This randomized, double-blind, active placebo trial aims to investigate the use of IV ketamine versus midazolam in the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). During the 12-week study, participants will receive cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Currently, two sites are active, and we expect to endorse two additional sites by early November.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
News from the New England Consortium
Shelly F. Greenfield, M.D., M.P.H. was selected for the class of 2024-2025 in the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowship. Through this Fellowship, Dr. Greenfield will devote time exploring gender-specific longitudinal trends in substance use disorders. Congratulations Dr. Greenfield on this exciting and prestigious Fellowship opportunity! Read more about this year’s Harvard Radcliffe Institute Fellowships here!
NIDA CCTN Seeking Health Scientist Administrator (Program Officer)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Center for the Clinical Trials Network (CCTN) is seeking candidates for a Health Scientist Administrator (Program Officer GS-12/13/14) position. The health scientist administrator will provide scientific leadership and collaborate with NIDA Clinical Trials Network (CTN) investigators in the conception, design, development, conduct, and monitoring of clinical trials and other research studies, as well as provide guidance and assistance in the dissemination of research findings. Desired qualifications of candidates include expertise in behavioral, pharmacological, or integrated therapies for substance use/substance use disorders (SUDs), experience in the management of…
News from the Greater Southern California Node
Upcoming Telehealth (TH) & Telemedicine (TM) Special Interest Group (SIG) on 09/13/2024 @ 8:30am PT/11:30am ET (see flyer attached for additional information) Publication announcements:
News from the DSC
The Data and Statistics Center is pleased to share that Kathryn Hefner, PhD, who joined Emmes in May 2019, now serves as a Multi-PI of the DSC, alongside PI Jennifer McCormack. Kathryn’s responsibilities as MPI span a variety of areas, including oversight of the DSC’s DSMB support for the CTN; support and mentorship of the DSC Project Leaders; and scientific oversight of the DSC portfolio which includes consultation on CRF development to ensure data capture is clinically, scientifically, and psychometrically sound, and in line with the scientific aims of the study….
News from the Appalachian Node
CTN-0139 (Collaborative Care for Polysubstance use in Primary Care Settings (Co-Care) (NIH HEAL Initiative)) held a training for Clinical Champions, Nurse Care Managers, and Health Coaches from July 23-24 in Pittsburgh, PA. We had 4 sites attend in person, and one site joined remotely due to last minute travel delays. Dr. Subramaniam also joined us. Aside from the training, we were able to share a nice meal together at Dr. Park’s house and enjoyed exploring the University of Pittsburgh and the city!
New in the Library (July – August 2024)
Here are the latest items added to the CTN Dissemination Library for July – August 2024 (this post will be updated as new items come in): Performance of the Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Medication, and Other Substance Use (TAPS) Tool in Screening Older Adults for Unhealthy Substance Use. Han BH, et al. Journal of Addiction Medicine 2024 (in press). (CTN-0059) Analyzing Quality of Life Among People with Opioid Use Disorder from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Data Share Initiative: Implications for Decision Making. Patton T, et al. Quality of Life…
Primary Outcomes Paper for CTN-0124: Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Help?
The primary outcomes paper for CTN-0124, Assessment and Design of a Cost-Effective Collaborative MOUD Delivery System, is now available! Citation: Gustafson DH, Molfenter T, Kunes T, Langdon L, Koplin M, Parker F, Branny K, Ghitza U, Bart G. Delivering MOUD to the Underserved: How Can Pharmacies Really Help? Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2024 (in press). What’s the question? Access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is a challenge in rural settings and for communities of color, partly because of the limited availability of healthcare providers equipped…
CTN Youth SIG Webinar: Falling Through the Cracks: The Struggle of Adolescents with OUD (Sept 20, 11am ET)
The CTN Youth SIG is pleased to invite you to an upcoming presentation/webinar: Falling Through the Cracks: The Struggle of Adolescents with Opioid Use Disorder in the Face of Limited Treatment Options Friday, September 20th, 2024 (11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET) Presenter: Sivabalaji Kaliamurthy MDAssistant Professor of Psychiatry, Howard UniversityDirector, Addiction Program at Children’s National, Washington, DC Dr. Kaliamurthy, a physician specialized in pediatric addictions, is board-certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and addiction medicine. He was pivotal in establishing the Addiction Clinic at Children’s National to…