NIH funds $945 million in research to address opioid crisis

The National Institutes of Health yesterday awarded $945 million in fiscal year 2019 funding under its Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative for research projects to improve treatments for chronic pain, curb opioid use disorder and overdose rates, and support long-term recovery from opioid addiction. “It’s clear that a multi-pronged scientific approach is needed to reduce the risks of opioids, accelerate development of effective non-opioid therapies for pain, and provide more flexible and effective options for treating addiction to opioids,” said NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D. “This unprecedented investment in the NIH HEAL Initiative demonstrates the commitment to reversing this devastating crisis.”