# Virtual Reality as an Opioid Sparing Treatment for Chronic Pain

> **NIH NIH R44** · APPLIEDVR, INC. · 2020 · $433,256

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Chronic pain affects up to 116 million Americans and is one of the most common reasons adults seek medical
care. Pain treatment and management is traditionally based primarily around pharmacological management
methods, which typically involve opioids. Opioids are commonly prescribed for chronic pain, but these agents
can yield inconsistent results, have significant adverse event profiles, and greatly increase the risk of the patient
developing an Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). Chronic pain is linked to opioid dependence, and 20-30% of patients
prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them. Despite the immense number of people receiving prescription
therapeutics for pain, pain is also one of the most untreated or undertreated medical conditions. The dual
epidemics of chronic pain and OUD pose a significant unmet need for low-risk, integrative, non-opioid
pain management tools that minimize the risk of addiction.
 AppliedVR, Inc. (appliedVR) plans to leverage our existing success with virtual reality (VR) technology to
address the unmet need for better opioid-sparing therapeutic alternatives to treat chronic pain with
EaseVRx, our software-based VR medical device. EaseVRx is intended to offer users a prescription pain
management tool that (a) manages the symptoms associated with chronic pain and (b) reduces or eliminates
the risk of opioid dependence. EaseVRx is based on principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, pain psychology,
mindfulness-based stress reduction, biofeedback, and distraction therapy strategies commonly used in
interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs.
 This Direct-to-Phase II project will advance EaseVRx development and commercialization by evaluating
EaseVRx efficacy in a proof-of-concept clinical trial in 100 patients with chronic low back pain. This trial
will assess EaseVRx’s effectiveness in decreasing pain, reducing opioid/non-opioid pharmacotherapy,
and improving quality of life. We will also develop a VR-based surveying tool to allow for the collection of
patient-reported outcomes inside the VR headset or application, in order to capture that outcome data and
effectively measure EaseVRx efficacy. Additionally, we will prepare pre-submission materials for FDA Class II
software-as-medical device clearance.
 Successful completion of this Phase II project will demonstrate EaseVRx’s efficacy in treating chronic pain
and reducing opioid usage and will have resulted in pre-submission conversations with the FDA, significantly
advancing the development program. Our ultimate goal is to bring EaseVRx to healthcare providers and
use this VR-based opioid-sparing pain treatment to improve the lives of patients suffering from chronic
pain.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10025584
- **Project number:** 5R44DA050231-02
- **Recipient organization:** APPLIEDVR, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** William TODD Maddox
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $433,256
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10025584

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10025584, Virtual Reality as an Opioid Sparing Treatment for Chronic Pain (5R44DA050231-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10025584. Licensed CC0.

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