# A game-based intervention for Opioid Use Disorder

> **NIH NIH R44** · PEAR THERAPEUTICS, INC. · 2020 · $55,714

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a key driver of the current opioid epidemic in the United States. Nearly 80% of
individuals with OUD do not receive treatment. Buprenorphine Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) is an
effective form of care for OUD. Buprenorphine ameliorates craving and withdrawal, and reduces illicit opioid use,
mortality, and problems associated with drug use. However, adoption of buprenorphine in clinical practice is not
yet commensurate with patient need. In addition, poor induction experiences and medication nonadherence are
associated with high likelihood of treatment drop out and relapse. The perceived need for observed
buprenorphine induction contributes to providers’ unwillingness to prescribe buprenorphine to patients, thereby
limiting patients’ access to standard of care. Maximizing the efficacy and accessibility of existing
pharmacotherapeutics is critical to helping individuals with OUD receive optimal and necessary care. Thus, an
urgent need exists to improve medication adherence and provide strategies to alleviate potential barriers to
implementation of buprenorphine in clinical practice (e.g. induction support). The premise of this proposal is to
develop a state of the art, digital therapeutic that 1) effectively promotes buprenorphine adherence by providing
contingency management rewards and educational content to reinforce the importance of medication in recovery
and 2) effectively assists home induction with a new self-monitoring support tool designed for patients. This
solution, named reSET-O+, will be integrated with Pear Therapeutics’ reSET-O, an FDA market-authorized
mobile application delivering validated behavioral therapy and intended for use in conjunction with buprenorphine
and standard outpatient treatment for OUD. Phase I of this proposal will focus on developing and testing a
functional reSET-O+ prototype to establish feasibility (e.g. acceptability) in patients with OUD. Phase II efforts
will expand, refine and validate the reSET-O+ intervention. Phase IIa will use iterative patient feedback to expand
the medication adherence-based contingency management system and refine buprenorphine-related content
and features. A small randomized controlled trial comparing reSET-O+ to reSET-O will evaluate efficacy (e.g.
induction success and medication adherence), safety, and patient engagement in Phase IIb. reSET-O+ will
provide an innovative approach for OUD treatment that addresses shortcomings in the current standard of care
such as buprenorphine uptake and adherence. A widely accessible digital therapeutic which effectively supports
induction and adherence to buprenorphine, and is integrated within a validated behavioral therapy, is likely to
promote recovery by facilitating treatment retention, relapse prevention, and better clinical outcomes. Given the
number of individuals in need of MAT and the impact medication nonadherence has on patient outcomes, there
is a substantial need for r...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10153370
- **Project number:** 3R44DA042652-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** PEAR THERAPEUTICS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Hilary F Luderer
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $55,714
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10153370

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10153370, A game-based intervention for Opioid Use Disorder (3R44DA042652-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10153370. Licensed CC0.

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