New Grant Awards for FRI Investigators Drs. Kinlock, Gordon, and Schwartz

FRI is pleased to announce that the following researchers at its East Coast Social Research Center have recently received grant funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). We would like to congratulate them as they embark on their timely and significant project.

Principal Investigator Timothy Kinlock, Ph.D., and Co-Investigators Michael Gordon, D.P.A., and Robert Schwartz, M.D., received a five-year grant from NIDA entitled “Prevention of Relapse to Opioid Addiction using Long-Acting Injectable Naltrexone.” The purpose of this study is to determine whether a monthly injection of naltrexone is practical and useful in the prevention of relapse and when compared to treatment as usual. This collaborative project will take place in five treatment sites where there is a large population of parolees with a history of opiate addiction: 1) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA: 2) Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI; 3) New York University/Bellevue, New York, NY; 4) Columbia University, New York, NY; and 5) Friends Research Institute, Baltimore, MD.

The University of Pennsylvania will be the coordinating site and each site will have a randomization goal of 20 new patients per year over 3.5 to 4 years to accrue a total of 360 to 400 participants. Treatment outcome will be measured by urine tests, hair analysis, self-report and continuation in treatment. Both naltrexone and comparison groups will receive equivalent cash incentives to remain in the program. A benefit-cost analysis will be conducted to compare the costs of the treatment with the quantifiable benefits in terms of reduced crime, re-incarceration and medical services and increased employment.