Two years ago, I reached out to the Director of Research at Caron Treatment Centers after seeing the results of the Phase 1/2 trial they had run with Sue Grigson and Scott Bunce. I was connected to Dr. Steve Klein at Caron and we decided to build a pilot program to provide for semaglutide for free to patients their in-patient addiction program.
Soon after, working with Nick Horton at OpenDoors in RI, we created a similar program for a very different patient population, women in post-incarceration sober housing. Our goal with these pilots is to demonstrate the potential of GLP-1s and build momentum for larger trials and wider adoption. The pilots been widely covered in the press and this week PBS Newshour ran an excellent piece featuring Steve, Nick, Regina Roberts, and Jessica Massarone, patients in the program.
Along with Marelen Lira, his cofounder at Quel Health, Steve is planning to launch another pilot program at a new location, which CASPR will also be supporting.
In parallel, CASPR is launching studies and clinical trial programs to strengthen the evidence base and move GLP-1s closer to FDA approval across multiple addictive indications. More news on those efforts coming soon.