Advancing Clinical Trials in Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal (ACT NOW)
ACT NOW Research Studies
ECHO researchers are part of two current ACT NOW studies, and participated in another that is now complete. These studies launched in Spring 2021 and aim to determine the best ways for hospitals to care for babies with NOWS.
https://dash.nichd.nih.gov/study/ 229026
Study Purpose The goal of the ACT NOW Current Experience (CE) Study was to describe patient and practice variation in the care of infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS).
NCT # 04057820
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/ show/NCT04057820
Study Purpose The goal of the ACT NOW ESC study is to test whether the “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach is more effective than usual approaches to assess and manage care for opioid-exposed newborns. ESC prioritizes care without the use of medications, such as a low-stimulation environment, swaddling, skin-to-skin contact, and breastfeeding.
NCT # 04214834
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/ show/NCT04214834
Study Purpose The goal of the ACT NOW Weaning Study is to help clinicians safely reduce doses of morphine or methadone prescribed to infants with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS).
The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative or NIH HEAL Initiative®. Learn more about this aggressive trans-agency effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national opioid public health crisis here.
Questions
Questions about ECHO's involvement in the ACT NOW Program or NIH HEAL Initiative® can be directed to the Program Office.
The ACT NOW Program
Funded through The Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, or NIH HEAL Initiative®, the ACT NOW research program aims to test the ways babies with NOWS are assessed, treated, and followed long-term, so that the infants can get the best possible care.
The program is a collaborative effort of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Neonatal Research Network (NRN) and the ECHO IDeA States Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (ISPCTN).
The importance of NOWS research
When a woman uses opioids during pregnancy, her baby may be born with a condition called Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS). The withdrawal symptoms for these babies can include tremors; excessive crying and irritability; and problems with sleeping, feeding, and breathing.
There are currently few standard, evidence-based treatments for NOWS, and doctors and researchers still don’t know much about the long-term effects of this condition.
New Collaborative ECHO Research Demonstrates Effectiveness of “Eat, Sleep, Console” Approach in Caring for Newborns with Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome
April 30, 2023
A collaborative effort between the NIH’s NICHD Neonatal Research Network and the ECHO Program’s ISPCTN found that the “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach is more effective for the treatment of newborns with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) than usual approaches to care. This research was led by ISPCTN investigators Leslie Young, MD of the University of Vermont; and Lori Devlin, DO, MHA, MS of the University of Louisville School of Medicine, ...
ECHO Study Examines Characteristics Associated with Opioid Use During Pregnancy
November 14, 2022
Collaborative ECHO research led by Ruby Nguyen, PhD of the University of Minnesota and Monica McGrath, ScD of Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, described characteristics that were associated with opioid using during pregnancy. The study included over 20,000 pregnant people from across the United States and found that the majority of individuals who used opioids during pregnancy were non-Hispanic White and college educated. ...
ECHO ACT NOW Current Experience Manuscript Published in Pediatrics
February 2, 2021
Establishing a Standard of Care for Babies Born Dependent on Opioids
July 22, 2020
ECHO Researchers Identify Gaps in Prenatal Opioid Exposure Research
August 28, 2019
Addressing the impact of opioids on women and children
August 01, 2019
Women and children bear a substantial part of the burden of opioid overuse in the United States. Opioid use during pregnancy can lead to neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome, and both the mothers and babies may be at higher risk of opioid use and its consequences later in the life course, setting up intergenerational cycles of opioid overuse. ...
NIH-Funded Study to Focus on Newborns Affected by Opioids
October 2, 2017
Resources
National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- NIDA Step-by-Step Guides: Various guides from NIDA on finding treatment and recovery support for Drug Use Disorders.
- NIDA Treating Opioid Use Disorder During Pregnancy (Infographic): Risk of opioid misuse during pregnancy, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and treatments during pregnancy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- CDC Drug Overdose Literature: Comprehensive resource designed for non‐health professionals. Includes helpful glossary of commonly‐used terms.
- CDC Opioid Use During Pregnancy: CDC resource about opioid use during pregnancy; treatments before, during and after pregnancy; and data and statistics (Materials in English and Spanish).
Health and Human Services (HHS)
- HHS National Opioid Crisis Help and Resources: Resources for prevention, treatment, and recovery for opioid addiction.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- FDA Information about Medication-Assisted Treatment for opioid use disorders: Use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, which is effective in the treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) and can help some people to sustain recovery.