# Identification of Novel Agents to Treat PTSD using Clinical Data

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2020 · $648,991

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This study will leverage large-scale clinical data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify
existing pharmaceutical agents commonly prescribed for a multitude of indications that are incidentally
associated with improvements in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Through prior efforts, a
data source containing almost 20 years of treatment data on all (over one million) VA users diagnosed with
PTSD between October 1999 and February 2018 has been constructed, including a complete historical record
of their evidence-based medication and psychotherapy receipt within the VA healthcare system. Importantly,
the team has also amassed symptom-level patient-reported PTSD outcome data for hundreds of thousands of
these patients. The existing data is a powerful resource with which the research team proposes to explore the
following specific aims: (1) identify off-label pharmaceutical agents associated with improvements in PTSD
symptoms over time; (2) further evaluate the clinical effectiveness of newly-identified off-label pharmaceutical
agents for improvement in PTSD symptoms using rigorous causal methods; and (3) identify common adverse
events related to off-label pharmaceutical agents associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms in this
complex, psychiatrically and medically ill population The proposed project will identify agents that may merit
further rigorous clinical evaluation for psychiatric benefit. New therapeutic targets may be identified that will
lead to greater treatment options or specific treatments. Further, identification of off-label medications that
improve or have contraindicated effects for psychiatric populations will provide critical guidance to practicing
clinicians.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9858600
- **Project number:** 1R01MH121397-01
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Jaimie L. Gradus
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $648,991
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9858600

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9858600, Identification of Novel Agents to Treat PTSD using Clinical Data (1R01MH121397-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9858600. Licensed CC0.

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