Trone, Cardin, Van Hollen Hail $945 Million in Funding from NIH to Tackle the National Opioid Crisis
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Hannah Muldavin (Trone) 202-225-2721
Tim Zink (Cardin) 410-962-4436
Francesca Amodeo (Van Hollen) 202-228-0672
Trone, Cardin, Van Hollen Hail $945 Million in Funding from NIH to Tackle the National Opioid Crisis
Funds Include $6.3 Million Grant for Gaithersburg’s Emergent BioSolutions
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. David Trone and Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (All D-Md.) hailed the announcement from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to award $945 million to reverse the opioid crisis through the Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative. The funds include a $6,354,906 grant for Gaithersburg-based company Emergent BioSolutions to develop a long-acting injectable treatment of opioid use disorder.
The HEAL Initiative provided funding across 41 states through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. The trans-NIH research effort aims to improve treatments for chronic pain, curb the rates of opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose, and achieve long-term recovery from opioid addiction. Trone previously worked to secure funding for the HEAL Initiative during the Appropriations process.
“If we are going to end the opioid epidemic we need to address it from every angle, including investing in innovative solutions through research,” said Rep. David Trone, founder of the House of Representatives’ Freshmen Working Group on Addiction. “After witnessing firsthand the work of both the NIH and Emergent BioSolutions, I know this investment will provide new solutions for those suffering from addiction. I am grateful to NIH Director Francis Collins and Emergent’s talented scientists for their service to our country.”
“As the opioid epidemic rages on, it becomes more and more clear that we need creative strategies to address it,” said Senator Cardin, senior member of the Senate Finance Health Subcommittee. “This significant federal investment builds on previous Congressional actions by providing resources to researchers nationwide, including at Emergent BioSolutions right here in Maryland, to develop innovative, long-acting treatments for the millions of Americans affected each year.”
“The opioid epidemic has scarred the lives of countless Maryland families. This funding is a crucial investment in fighting back and will go into important research to end addiction. I will continue working in Congress to fund these critical efforts,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees.
“We applaud the National Institutes of Health launch of its Helping to End Addiction Long-Term Initiative,” said Robert G. Kramer Sr., president and CEO of Emergent BioSolutions. “At Emergent, our mission is to protect and enhance life. We are pleased with this opportunity to support a shared goal of making a meaningful impact on the opioid crisis by partnering to advance our product candidate to treat addiction in opioid use disorder. We will continue to seek opportunities to collaborate and remain committed to working with federal, state, and local governments and community organizations to help address this complex public health emergency.”
Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland. In Congress, he founded the Freshmen Working Group on Addiction, a bipartisan group of 64 freshmen lawmakers dedicated to ending the addiction epidemic in the country. Thus far, the group has visited Johns Hopkins Medical facilities to see the latest research on addiction, introduced legislation to combat the spread of the epidemic, and promoted practices and policies to tackle the crisis from every angle. In June, Trone wrote about the progress the group has made within Congress, acknowledging the long way we still have to go to stop the spread of addiction.
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