WaPo covers both of CASPR's GLP-1 for addiction pilot programs
Also, I'm speaking at CCSA in Halifax today.
Yesterday the Washington Post ran a great article on Sunday which covers both of the GLP-1 for SUD pilot programs that CASPR has co-created and funded, one at Caron in PA / FL and one at OpenDoors in RI. As far as we know, these are the only two in the world. (We are expanding our Caron collaboration and will announce more soon.)
These programs have already been covered by STAT and the New York Times, but the Washington Post reaches a DC audience that is, of course, particularly influential in addiction policy, and there are high leverage policy opportunities to get better medicines, including GLP-1s, to patients sooner.
So far, the experiences of patients in our programs have been extremely compelling. From the article:
“We see how hard it is for people to maintain their recovery long-term after they leave the support of our housing,” Open Doors Co-Executive Director Nick Horton said. “But with this medicine, I’m hopeful.”
Regina Roberts, a 41-year-old alcoholic in recovery, is living at an Open Doors facility after stints in rehab and a family court program after she lost custody of her teenage son. She has been sober since 2023 with the help of 12-step programs, therapy and life-skills classes. But she faced frequent reminders of her past: walking past a liquor store, smelling alcohol on someone’s breath, cigarette smoke wafting in the air. When Open Doors told her about the promise of GLP-1s several months ago, she agreed.
“I figured, why not try it?” Roberts said. “I’ll take anything to help me stay on my road to sobriety.”
With her cravings dialed back, Roberts hopes to reunite with her teenage son and move out of Open Doors in a few months. But she’s unsure whether she can keep taking the medication; she can’t afford to pay out of pocket and Medicaid might not cover it.
Three other quick updates:
I’m speaking today in Halifax at CCSA’s Issues of Substance Conference at 11am, if you are in town. I’ll be talking about the emergence of GLP-1s for addiction and the particular opportunity that Canada has for advancing both clinical and real-world research as semaglutide (ozempic) becomes genaeric in Canada in less than two months (it won’t be generic in the US / EU for another 7 years). If you are around, please say hi! Can also email me.
The retrospective study on GLP-1s and overdose among veterans that we funded at the VA has been submitted for publication. Results are very promising, more soon.
Our website for CASPR.org has been updated recently. Check it out.
The coverage in WaPo is a huge step forward for getting this treatmnt approach to wider policymaker attention. Regina's story really captures the challenge of insurace coverage once patients leave structured treatment settings. The fact that semaglutide is going generic in Canada soon creates such an interesting opporunity for real world data collection. Will be curious to see how the VA study results translate to broader populations.