NIH details plan for HEAL Initiative

NIH said its HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative will focus on improving treatments for opioid misuse and addiction, as well as enhancing strategies for pain management. The research plan was detailed in a perspective published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

As part of the initiative, the Foundation for NIH and FDA will launch a public-private partnership with biopharmas to collect and evaluate treatment assets and accelerate the development of effective treatments for pain and addiction. According to the plan, the "most promising" assets will be tested in HEAL's clinical trial networks, which will focus primarily on Phase II trials. ...