More flexible take‑home methadone to help people stay in treatment
Leveraging regulatory flexibility for methadone take-home dosing to improve retention in treatment for opioid use disorder: A stepped-wedge randomized trial to facilitate clinic level changes
This project helps clinics offer more flexible take‑home methadone so people with opioid use disorder can stay in treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | New York University School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11189778 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will work with opioid treatment programs to roll out clinic-level changes that let eligible patients receive more methadone to take home. Clinics will adopt the changes on a staggered, randomized schedule so researchers can compare retention and safety before and after each clinic switches. Staff training, workflow tools, and legal/financial supports will be provided to address concerns about diversion, overdoses, and billing. Patient retention, adverse events, and clinic practices will be tracked to identify practical, safe ways to expand take-home dosing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with opioid use disorder who receive methadone at participating opioid treatment programs and who may qualify for take-home dosing.
Not a fit: People not receiving methadone, patients at clinics not enrolled in the trial, or individuals clinically judged ineligible for take-homes may not directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more people could remain on lifesaving methadone with fewer clinic visits and less daily burden.
How similar studies have performed: During COVID many clinics relaxed take-home rules and observational data showed better retention with limited safety signals, but randomized clinic-level trials like this are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- New York University School of Medicine — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Neighbors, Charles J — New York University School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Neighbors, Charles J
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.