Marshall University Conducts NIH-funded Clinical Research Study to Compare Oral Buprenorphine to a New Extended Release Formulation in Expectant Mothers
Researchers at Marshall Health and the Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine are now recruiting for a National Institute of Health-funded national clinical trial to evaluate the impact of treating opioid use disorder in pregnant women with extended-release buprenorphine ( BUP-XR ), compared to sublingual buprenorphine ( BUP-SL ), on mother and infant outcomes .
This multisite study , the first trial to study BUP-XR in pregnant women , is led nationally by T . Winhusen , PhD , at the University of Cincinnati . In all , 200 participants will be randomized into the trial . Approximately 25 of those participants will be recruited locally at Marshall Health . Participants will be compensated for their time .
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society of Addiction Medicine recommend that pregnant women with opioid use disorder be treated with a medication like BUP-SL . By comparing the BUP-XR formulation with BUP-SL , this study has the potential to expand available treatment options for pregnant women struggling with opioid use disorder .
The study team at Marshall Health , led by Zachary H . Hansen , MD , assistant professor of family and community health at the Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine and medical director of Marshall Health ’ s Maternal Addiction Recovery Center , is seeking expectant mothers between the ages of 18 and 41 and who struggle with illicit opioid use . Study participants must be willing to attend treatment for opioid use disorder and be randomized to receive either BUP-XR or BUP-SL . For more information or to participate in the study , contact Lacey Andrews , study coordinator for the Marshall Health team , at 304-877-8266 .
Image : Zachary H . Hansen , MD , Assistant Professor .
West Virginia Antibiotic Awareness Initiative Expands Resources and Research
The West Virginia Antibiotic Awareness initiative at the Marshall University Joan C . Edwards School of Medicine has received additional funding to support its efforts to encourage appropriate antibiotic use in the state of West Virginia ( WV ).
Through a new $ 374,000 grant from Pew Charitable Trusts , the WV Antibiotic Awareness initiative will develop a statewide
dashboard , or method of feedback , for West Virginia Medicaid providers who prescribe antibiotics to children . Provider feedback will be based on antibiotic prescribing guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics .
This pilot program aims to increase guideline-concordant antibiotic prescribing while reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure , which has been linked to numerous potential adverse effects . In conjunction with ongoing work with the WV Department of Health and Human Resources ( DHHR ), the pilot program will be supported by statewide educational outreach activities to help empower providers with the most updated information about antibiotic use . Particular focus will be placed on the contributing sociodemographic and geographic factors that influence prescribing within the state .
Led by Marshall ’ s pediatric infectious disease experts , Assistant Professors Jacob T . Kilgore , MD , MPH , and Mariana Lanata , MD , the WV Antibiotic Awareness initiative was launched in May 2022 through a WV DHHR grant . Their work has already culminated in numerous local , regional , and statewide presentations as well as a publication detailing their work to date in the Journal of Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Society .
Additional information about the initiative is available at https :// jcesom . marshall . edu / wv-antimicrobial-awareness .
West Virginia Medical Journal • December 2022 • 15