FDA announces mobile app contest to combat opioid overdose epidemic

The FDA recently announced the 2016 Naloxone App Competition, a public contest to develop innovative technologies that reduce opioid overdose deaths.

“The goal of this competition is to develop a low-cost, scalable, crowd-sourced mobile application that addresses this issue of accessibility,” Peter Lurie, MD, MPH, associate commissioner for public health strategy and analysis at the FDA, said in a press release. “Mobile phone applications have been developed to educate laypersons on how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone, and to connect bystanders with individuals in need of other medical services, such as CPR. To date, however, no application is available to connect carriers of naloxone with nearby opioid overdose victims.”

With support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the FDA invites computer programmers, public health advocates, clinical researchers, entrepreneurs and innovators from all fields to produce a mobile phone application that connects individuals experiencing opioid overdose with carriers of naloxone.

Individuals and teams can register to participate in the competition by October 7.

Participants will have access to background resources, including information on the opioid epidemic, approved naloxone formulations, public health recommendations for safe and appropriate use of naloxone and FDA guidance on mobile medical applications.

From October 19 to 20, the FDA will host a 2-day code-a-thon on the FDA campus and virtually for participants to develop their concepts and prototypes.

All code will be open-source and publicly accessible. The FDA encourages collaboration.

Robert M. Califf

Participants will independently refine their concept and submit a video of the prototype and a brief summary of their concept by November 7.

A panel of individuals from the FDA, NIDA and SAMHSA will evaluate submissions. The participant with the highest-scoring prototype will receive $40,000.

Following the competition, participants may apply for NIDA Small Business Innovation Research grants to further develop their concepts and gather data to evaluate real-world impact.

“With a dramatic increase in the number of opioid overdose deaths in the U.S., there’s a vital need to harness the power of new technologies to quickly and effectively link individuals experiencing an overdose — or a bystander such as a friend or family member — with someone who carries and can administer the life-saving medication,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD, said in a press release “Through this competition, we are tapping public health-focused innovators to help bring technological solutions to a real-world problem that is costing the U.S. thousands of lives each year.”