New NIH system aims to detect illicit drug trends
The National Institutes of Health has developed the National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS) so health experts can quickly respond to potential outbreaks of illegal drugs, like heroin, and identify increased use of designer synthetic compounds.
Since drug trends change rapidly, the system will help pick up on emerging threats and the types of drugs used at the community level more quickly than conventional methods, according to NIH.
The University of Maryland’s Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) will receive funding to develop the system, which will establish a virtual community to:
- Detect emerging drug trends using national and local data sources
- Dispatch a rapid response team to local areas with reported rapid increases in emerging drugs. This team will assess the outbreak and collect anonymous urine samples, provided by criminal justice drug testing programs, for enhanced analysis that includes testing for synthetic drug metabolites.
- Quickly disseminate information to the public using traditional and social media, websites, publications and newsletters.
“NDEWS will generate critically needed information about new drug trends in specific locations around the country so rapid, informed and effective public health responses can be developed precisely where needed,” said Nora D. Volkow, MD, director at NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, in a statement. “By monitoring trends at the local level, we hope to prevent emerging drug problems from escalating or spreading to surrounding regions.”
The five-year project is set to begin in August.