NIH Awards $945 Million for Research to Reverse the Opioid Crisis

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced it has awarded $945 million for research to reverse the opioid crisis.

The research will aim to improve treatments for chronic pain, curb rates of opioid use disorder and overdose, and achieve long-term recovery from opioid addiction. The funding does not provide direct services to people affected by the opioid crisis and chronic pain, The Washington Post reports. It will be used to fund research by 375 grant recipients in 41 states through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term (NIH HEAL) Initiative.

“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,” NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., said in a news release. “This unprecedented investment in the NIH HEAL Initiative demonstrates the commitment to reversing this devastating crisis.”