NIH creates harm reduction research network to address opioid, overdose crises

The NIH announced it has established a research network that aims to test harm reduction strategies in different community settings affected by opioid use to inform efforts to help save lives.

According to a release from NIH, the network’s efforts will build on existing harm reduction research and will represent the largest pool of funding from NIH to date to study harm reduction strategies to address overdose deaths.

The research network includes such institutions as Johns Hopkins University, New York University School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Research Triangle Institute, the University of Chicago, the University of Nevada-Reno, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

“The opioid and overdose crisis continues to evolve in dangerous and unpredictable ways, but scientific solutions that embrace innovative research and community connections offer the best hope for saving lives across America,” NIH HEAL Initiative Director Rebecca G. Baker, PhD, said in the release.

Per the release, which cited provisional data from the CDC, more than 107,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses in 2021. According to 2020 CDC data, rural counties experienced 26.2 overdose deaths per 100,000 people, which was only slightly lower than the rates in urban counties (28.6 deaths per 100,000 people).

Overdose deaths involving psychostimulants were higher in rural counties than in urban counties from 2012 through 2020. In addition, several projects will be aimed at populations disproportionally affected by the negative impacts of drug use, including Black and LatinX communities, as well as women.

Funded by the NIH’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, awards are expected to total at approximately $36 million over 5 years. Studies undertaken by the research network are expected to enroll participants and investigate a range of harm reduction approaches, such as distributing naloxone, a lifesaving medication to reverse overdose, and fentanyl test strips, which people can use to determine if drugs are contaminated with fentanyl.

The research network will also examine the efficacy of moving harm reduction services and tools into communities via mobile vans, peer support specialists, internet- and smartphone-based tools and other types of outreach, the release stated.

“Getting people into treatment for substance use disorders is critical, but first, people need to survive to have that choice,” NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, MD, said in the release. “Research to better understand how different harm reduction models may work in communities across the country is therefore crucial to address the overdose crisis strategically and effectively.”