Purdue Pharma L.P.(“Purdue”) and the National Center for Wellness & Recovery (the “Center”) at Oklahoma State University today announced an innovative collaboration focused on accelerating solutions to the opioid addiction crisis.

 

In March of 2019, Purdue and the families of Dr. Mortimer and Dr. Raymond Sackler created a nearly $200 million endowment for addiction research and treatment that provided the funding to create the Center. Building on that contribution, Purdue will provide the Center with access to research molecules and certain associated data and will grant the Center rights under certain intellectual property to conduct research into the causes of and potential treatments for addiction. The rights granted to the Center are intended to facilitate scientific discovery and create new opportunities for research aimed at unmet addiction treatment needs for patients and healthcare professionals.

 

Kayse M. Shrum, DO, president of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences (OSU-CHS), said of the partnership, “The data and other assets Purdue is sharing, paired with the funding announced in March, will be transformational to the ongoing and future research at the Center. This collaboration presents new and exciting opportunities at the scientific level that would not be available without Purdue’s years of extensive research.”

 

“The opioid addiction crisis has taken a tremendous toll on individuals, families, and communities across the nation,” said Craig Landau, MD, president and CEO, Purdue Pharma. “The resulting public health challenge is complex, constantly changing, and requires input and action from multiple stakeholders, including clinicians, researchers, and the entire scientific community. For years, Purdue has been pursuing ways to address the needs of patients who suffer from pain while also working to help reduce the risk of abuse and addiction.”

 

Dr. Landau added, “Through years of research and innovation, Purdue has accumulated knowledge around opioid analgesics and other investigational entities. This knowledge could add significant value to the scientific and academic communities’ efforts to better understand and treat addiction. It is our hope that by providing the National Center for Wellness & Recovery at OSU-CHS with access to research materials, associated data, and patents, Purdue will help support progress in this important area that would otherwise not be achieved.”

 

Don Kyle, vice president of discovery research at Purdue Pharma, commented after a recent visit to the Center, “I am really impressed with the vision of the Center’s leadership and their desire to identify and pursue innovative technologies to help address the opioid addiction crisis in our country. I believe this very unique partnership represents a significant step in the right direction and will accelerate impactful scientific research and new medical treatments on a national scale. I look forward to the wonderful discoveries and benefits to patients this collaboration will produce.”