Verinetics Awarded $1.5M Phase II SBIR Contract from the National Institute on Drug Abuse

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Verinetics has been awarded a $1.5 million contract the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) Phase II program. Verinetics will use the award to develop a system called DispenSecur version 1 (DSv1), objectives of which are to expand access to medications to treat opioid use disorder (MOUD).

By regulation, methadone when used as an MOUD may only be dispensed from an opioid treatment program (OTP). In addition, many barriers to receiving this safe and effective treatment remain, including social stigma and required daily clinic visits to receive the medication under the supervision of a practitioner. After a period of stability in taking methadone, some patients with opioid use disorder are able to take methadone at home between clinic visits." DSv1 is being developed as an alternative solution that increases access to take home methadone privileges through "remote supervision" and autonomous dispensing deactivation.

The contract award comes at a time when according to the 2020 National Surveys of Drug Use and Health 2.7 million Americans have opioid use disorder. In developing DSv1, Verinetics' mission includes building trust between these individuals and their health care providers. "We are committed to improving lives of the country's most stigmatized people who simply need convenient yet controlled access to their life saving medications," said Tom Mercolino, President & CEO, Verinetics. "We believe DispenSecur™ will be a groundbreaking tool to enable individuals to receive take-home doses in earlier phases of treatment. Dosing at home means these individuals have more time for work and their families."

About DispenSecur™ - DispenSecur™ is an IoT-enabled, advanced cloud-based system, that providers can monitor medications from the time patients leave the clinic to when they access each of their daily doses. The system that helps limit demands placed on patients to access methadone at home, freeing those with OUDs from the constraints of limited clinic operating hours and locations that are often long distances from home and work.

About Verinetics - CertiRx Corporation d.b.a Verinetics mission is better control for controlled substances. The company has a patented, best-in-class platform for maintaining supply chain integrity, which it applies to address key problems in the opioid crisis initially by making medications to treat opioid use disorder safer and more accessible to more patients. Verinetics is a Winner in the FDA New Era of Smarter Food Supply Low- or No-Cost Tech Enabled Traceability Challenge. Learn more at www.verinetics.com.

Verinetics Contact:    Thomas J. Mercolino, PhD
                                        President & CEO
                                        [email protected] 

SOURCE VERINETICS