Expanding opioid treatment and HIV care in Central Asia
Expanding Medication Assisted Therapies in Central Asia
This project works to make methadone or buprenorphine and HIV treatment easier to get for people who inject drugs and their partners in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11403092 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a person who injects drugs or a partner of someone who does in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan, this project works to make methadone or buprenorphine and HIV treatment easier to get. Local clinics and health teams will use a step-by-step improvement method called NIATx and the EPIS framework to find and fix barriers, train staff, and change how care is delivered. Researchers will collect clinic data, meet with community members, and track whether more people start opioid treatment, link to ART, and achieve viral suppression over time. The aim is to create lasting improvements so people can stay on treatment and reduce HIV transmission in their communities.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people who inject drugs and their sexual partners living in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, or Tajikistan who need opioid agonist therapy or HIV services.
Not a fit: People without opioid use disorder, those who do not inject drugs, or people living outside the three Central Asian countries are unlikely to get direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase access to opioid treatment and HIV care, helping more people start and stay on treatment and lowering new HIV infections.
How similar studies have performed: Scaling up opioid agonist therapy together with ART has reduced HIV transmission in other regions, and NIATx has previously improved access to addiction services, so this approach builds on proven methods.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Altice, Frederick Lewis — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Altice, Frederick Lewis
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.