Trending News Today: NIH to Conduct 4-State Study to Reduce Opioid Overdose Deaths

The National Institutes of Health announced it will spend $350 million in 4 states to study ways to reduce opioid overdose deaths on a local level, Reuters reported. According to the article, the goal is to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths by 40% over 3 years in selected communities across Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio. The plan calls for research centers to work with at least 15 communities to measure how integrating prevention, treatment, and recovery interventions can reduce overdoses, the article reported.

A new genetic test may offer clues to help predict individuals who are at risk for obesity, The Associated Press reported. According to the article, researchers used previously published data from more than 300,000 individuals at various ages based on their genetic code to create a risk score based on variant. The researchers noted that the risk score can take approximately half of an individual’s genetic propensity into account and shows similar accuracy in predicting ordinary obesity, the article reported.

A lower dose of Pfizer and Eli Lilly’s non-opioid painkiller tanezumab failed to meet the primary goals of a late-stage study of patients with moderate-to-severe osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, Pfizer reported. According to the press release, the trial evaluated tanezumab in 2 doses, 2.5 mg and 5 mg, comparing the long-term joint safety and efficacy at the end of 16 weeks with painkillers. The higher dose of the treatment met 2 of the 3 primary goals, reduced pain and improved physical function, but the lower dose did not achieve a statistically significant improvement in patients, the article reported.