Reaching addiction patients where they’re at

Coming at the opioid crisis from two different angles, NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse and Alkermes plc have concluded that ending the epidemic will mean developing ways of getting medication to patients who fall outside the traditional healthcare system. By pioneering new commercial models, they hope to reach these patients through the criminal justice system, community organizations and healthcare centers.

Although three classes of medication are on the market in the U.S. for opioid use disorder, many of the people who need them have no access to physicians, treatment centers or the basic necessities of daily living...