NIDA Information
RELEASED, January 13, 1999

NIDA Launches a Major Effort to Establish National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of Health, is taking a major step forward in establishing a critically needed research infrastructure that will test and disseminate science-based addiction treatments in real life settings throughout the country. NIDA is pleased to announce the establishment of its National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN).

As has been established for other diseases, such as cancer and AIDS, this Network will allow NIDA to establish a research infrastructure that is able to efficiently and effectively test a variety of pharmacological and behavioral treatment modalities in real life settings and diverse patient populations.

The Network will literally allow us the opportunity to move efficacious research right into practice. Once established, we think it will make a significant impact on how treatment is provided in this country.

NIDA will make four awards in 1999, and invites grant applications from established clinical investigators wishing to participate. The CTN is advertised as RFA #DA-99-004. For a copy of the RFA, please call NIDA's Office of Extramural Program Review at 301-443-2755, or print a copy from the Web at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-DA-99-004.html. Critical deadlines are March 13 for a letter of intent and April 13 for the application receipt date.

The need for this Network has been identified by the drug abuse treatment field, and also was recommended by the 1998 Institute of Medicine Report, Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice, as the single mechanism most likely to improve drug abuse treatment in this country. The CTN will enable rapid, concurrent testing of a wide range of promising science-based behavioral therapies, medications, and their combined use across a range of patient populations, treatment settings, and community environments nationwide.

When complete, the network will consist of 20 to 30 sites in regions throughout the country. These nodes will consist of Regional Research and Training Coordinating Centers (RRTCs), based in university medical and research centers. Each RRTC will be linked with 10 to 15 community treatment providers that represent a variety of treatment settings and patient populations available in the region. For further information on programmatic issues of the CTN, please call Dr. Jack Blaine at 301-443-0107 or Dr. Betty Tai at 301-443-2397.