By: Jon Berg, M.Ed., Senior Public Health Advisor, SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Naloxone is a potentially life-saving drug commonly used to reverse opioid overdoses and can be injected as a liquid or delivered as a nasal spray. The fastest method of delivery is through an intravenous (IV) dose, but many first responders, police, families or friends are not well equipped...

The brain chemical serotonin can regulate expression of genes within neurons in a very unexpected way, as described in a NIDA-funded paper just published in the journal Nature. It is all part of the marvel of DNA and how it works to form our individual biological maps. The mechanism...

By: HIV.gov 
Cross-posted from HIV.gov Blog

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) through its Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to support substance use treatment service delivery to racial/ethnic minority individuals at risk for or living with HIV. The grant opportunity is supported by Minority AIDS Initiative resources that are appropriated to SAMHSA.

By: Tammy R. Beckham, DVM, PhD, Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
Cross-posted from HHS Viral Hepatitis Blog

Summary: 
SAMHSA chief urges grantees and partners to address infectious diseases as integral part of the response to the substance use disorders epidemic.

In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent to grantees of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) late last year, Elinore McCance-Katz, M.D., Ph.D., the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, put a spotlight on HIV and viral hepatitis – the often hidden consequences of the substance use disorder epidemic – and called on the public health and substance abuse disorders communities to strengthen coordinated efforts to address them. She stated,

A newly published study suggests the long-acting buprenorphine formulation BUP-XR is more effective than placebo in helping patients struggling with addiction to opioids. BUP-XR is a monthly extended-release injection.

Source: Photo by ©iStock.com/ognianm

Daily dose buprenorphine was...

The scientific world has advanced immeasurably by the science of DNA and genetics. Manipulating gene expression to change the way that cells such as neurons function has helped scientists create very specific tools to use for understanding and developing treatments for human diseases. For human...

©iStock/brebca

A NIDA-funded analysis of eight states showed a significant association between rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and poor economic conditions. NAS is a series of uncomfortable symptoms experienced by newborns suffering from opioid withdrawal after their mothers...

Courtesy of NIDA

A team of NIDA-funded scientists has offered a critical look at how to build an improved framework of care for the identification and treatment of people with opioid use disorder (OUD).

Building upon the successful Cascade of Care model developed in 2017 to manage...