National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network
Delaware Valley Node
Principal Investigator: George Woody, M.D.

Over the past 30 years, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has supported development of new medications and behavioral treatments for substance abuse, but many of these treatments have never been tested beyond university-based research settings. The National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network is intended to test the effectiveness of new medications and therapies in diverse treatment settings, with diverse patient populations, under real world conditions. The goal is to accelerate integration of scientific practices into community-based programs – and improve the relevance of clinical research – by facilitating collaboration between addiction researchers and treatment providers and conducting clinical trials in community clinics.

The Delaware Valley Node of the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network was formed in September 1999, a collaboration involving four research organizations, 11 treatment organizations and more than 50 clinical sites. Through a subcontract from the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Studies of Addiction, TRI and Penn faculty and staff are developing, managing, and leading a wide range of studies in a variety of community-based treatment settings. The projects include a clinical trial of a new medication for opiate-dependent adolescents, a multi-site performance improvement study in outpatient settings, several tests of incentives with cocaine addicts, and a clinical trial testing a three-session therapy technique using motivational enhancement. View Projects or Visit the CTN National Website