Aphios Awarded an NIH Grant For a Combination Therapeutic for Chronic Opioid Use Disorder Relapse

Aphios announced today that it was awarded an NIH grant to develop a combination therapeutic for chronic opioid use disorder relapse.

The United States of America is currently experiencing an opioid epidemic, which recently was referred to as an epidemic in the midst of a pandemic, exacerbated by the increased risk of overuse as a result of social and economic stress and disruptions in accessing medical treatments. Few therapeutics are available for individuals trying to recover from dependence and/or addiction. Current treatments for opioid use disorders are themselves opioids such as the opioid agonists methadone and buprenorphine, and the opioid antagonist naltrexone, a treatment intended only for people who are no longer dependent on narcotics or alcohol.

Aphios was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a sustained release combination therapeutic for chronic opioid use disorder relapse that includes cannabidiol (CBD) in biodegradable polymer nanospheres. Unlike current treatments, cannabidiol (CBD), a bioactive ingredient of marijuana, is not an opioid and is non-psychoactive. CBD has been shown to inhibit cue-induced opioid-seeking behaviors, cravings and withdrawals. According to Dr. Trevor P. Castor, Aphios’ President and CEO, “CBD encapsulated in nanoparticles will improve therapeutic efficacy for opioid use disorder relapse while reducing side-effects, and increasing adherence and accessibility. A medication that can reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms will improve the chances of success of going through withdrawal without relapse, thereby significantly impacting personal well-being, future health care costs and economic burdens.”

About Aphios Corporation:

Aphios Corporation is an emerging growth, clinical stage, green biotechnology company developing enabling technology platforms to improve drug discovery and manufacturing, nanotechnology drug delivery and pathogenic safety. Based on these platforms, Aphios is developing enhanced therapeutics to prevent disease, maintain health, improve quality-of-life and treat chronic diseases including cancers and supportive care, infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza and COVID-19, and central and peripheral nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and opioid use disorder in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Research reported in this press release is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number 1R43DA058614-01. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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