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The
faculty members have carried out several research projects
funded by national and internationally recognized agencies like
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,
Ministry of Finance, Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR), Department of Science and Technology (DST), WHO
(India), WHO (Geneva), and United Nations Office of Drugs and
Crime (UNODC). The centre has several sophisticated equipments
to carry out tests on health damage and detection of drugs of
abuse in body fluids, pre clinical laboratory experiments and
behavioural pharmacology on drugs of abuse among animals. Some
of the research projects have resulted in
publications by the centre.
Some of the important research projects are listed below.
Some Ongoing Projects
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Workplace
Substance Use Programme at Indian Oil Corporation, Assam Oil
Division, Digboi, Assam
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Establishment of Opioid Substitution Programme (OST) at
Government health care facilities at Punjab (in
collaboration with NACO, Government of India)
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Networking
of service providers dealing with Street children in Delhi (a
WHO biennium activity)
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Developing a
web portal and online assessment and intervention module for
problem alcohol users (a multi-country, WHO headquarter
project)
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Training of
Doctors in more than 500 district hospitals of the country
(supported by the National Fund for Control of Drug Abuse (NFCDA),
Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of
India). Other institutes collaborating with NDDTC, AIIMS in
this venture are:
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Central Institute of Psychiatry (CIP), Ranchi
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Government Medical College (GMC), Chandigarh
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KEM Hospital, Mumbai
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National Institute of Mental Health and
Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangaluru
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Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS),
Imphal
Old Projects
Oral Substitution Treatment with Buprenorphine funded by United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for South
Asia, New Delhi. Project was initiated in 2006.
A multi site
pilot intervention study of opiate dependent users was carried
out to test the effectiveness of buprenorphine as a medication
for long term treatment of opioid dependence in India. It also
aimed to establish guidelines for practice of oral substitution
with buprenorphine.
The study used a ‘pre-post design’ with assessments at baseline,
3 months, 6 months and 9 months. A total of 231 opioid dependent
patients from five sites across the country were identified and
recruited.
Highlights of the findings:
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In the total sample, the retention rate was 79%
at 3 months, 70% at 6 month and 64% at 9 month follow up with a
compliance rate of more than 80 percent among those retained in
treatment.
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A significant reduction in drug use was found, as
the mean number of days heroin being used was 24.9 ± 10.1 days
at baseline which reduced to less than two days at 9 month
follow up assessment.
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There was a significant reduction (p<.001) in
injection use, which declined from 52% at baseline to 13% at 9
month follow up assessment.
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There was a concurrent decrease in sexual risk
behaviour with increased condom use.
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The drug, legal, family-relationships and
psychological domain scores of the ‘Addiction severity index (ASI)’
declined substantially at 3 months indicating an improvement.
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The scores in all the four domains (physical,
psychological, social relationship and environment) of ‘WHO
Quality of Life’ at 9 month follow up showed an increase, thus
indicating an improvement in the quality of life as experienced
by the patients.
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The process indicators in terms of implementation
of oral substitution were also documented using qualitative
techniques. Most patients and family members across all centers
expressed satisfaction with treatment and with the improvement
the patients were experiencing.
The results of this study were in keeping with the excellent
results shown in controlled trials with sublingual buprenorphine
maintenance. This treatment is increasingly being regarded as
the mainstream treatment for opioid dependence.
There are many publications on Drug abuse & HIV/AIDS
that are not readily accessible or available to the policy
makers and researchers to plan prevention and controlling
measures. Many studies conducted on these issues have not been
published or not reported in the format which may be easily
understood. The collection and collation of such information can
bridge the gap and Policy makers & planners and Administrators
and Researchers, whether Government or Non-Government, would
have authentic, reliable and adequate data on these issues
before undertaking any programme or formulating any policy. In
this regard, AIIMS, with funding support from UNODC ROSA has
been implementing a Project “Setting up of National and
Regional Database on Drug abuse & HIV/AIDS” in South Asia
using secondary data. AIIMS is the central repository and
participating centers are located in Bangladesh, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It was envisaged that such an
exercise would also promote regional sharing of information and
resources for a concerted and convergent responses to Drug and
HIV issues through National and Regional database.
AIIMS was given the responsibility of the development of an
appropriate and user-friendly computer software and a manual
for creating the database on Drug abuse and HIV/AIDS for
entering the collected data into the software. This Database
Software on Drug abuse and HIV/AIDS was then installed in all
participating centers. In all participating countries a
training workshop was held for the data entry personnel in
getting familiar with the database Software in locating the data
sources and in data entry in the Software as per the format.
Each country was then requested to send the filled in Software
with the articles.
Necessary guidelines for locating the articles, data entry and
other relevant aspects were sent to all the countries. Based on
inclusion criteria for Data (documents/studies) all documents
on HIV/AIDS/high risk behaviors and drug or alcohol
use/abuse/dependence were collected.
Funded by WHO
(India) as a
biennium activity.
This activity
was aimed at assessing the pattern of substance use among out of
school adolescents (street children) in two metro cities (Delhi
and Banglaore).
Many NGOs
working with children who are living on the streets are the
project partners. Information has been collected from out of
school children/adolescents and from service providers working
with out of school children/adolescents using various data
collection technique. This data has been used to develop an
intervention package, which is being implemented simultaneously
in Delhi and Bangalore.
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Funded by Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India
NDDTC, in collaboration with the state
and district level governments is implementing a
project, “district based model for provision of care to
substance users.” It involves strengthening the
involvement of existing district level health
infrastructure in detection, management and delivery of
care for alcohol and other drug abuse/dependent
individuals. It is currently being implemented in four
states in one district each viz Mandsaur (MP); Morigaon
(Assam); and Meerut (UP). Under this project, it is
proposed to train health staff and start points of
treatment at District hospital / civil hospital, CHC’s
and PHC’s in each district.
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Project sponsored by United Nations Office of
Drugs and Crime, Regional Office for South Asia (UNODC, ROSA)
and United Nations Inter regional Crime and Justice Research
Institute (UNICRI)
·
Global study on Illegal Drug Markets-A Multi-centred
Project
Project sponsored by UNODC and Ministry of Social
Justice and Empowerment, Government of India
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National Survey on Extent, Pattern and Trends of
Drug abuse in India
Projects
sponsored by UNODC ROSA
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Oral Substitution Treatment with buprenorphine.
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Collaborative study of creation of a database on
drug abuse and HIV/AIDS
Projects sponsored by WHO (Geneva):
1. Alcohol policy in developing countries
2. Development and validation of ASSIST
3. Development of methodology to study determinants of sexual
behaviour among alcohol users in diverse cultural settings
4. Alcohol and Sexual behaviours across cultures: A Literature
review from 7 countries
5. Identification and Management of Substance Use disorders in
Primary Care Settings using ASSIST
6.International Randomised Controlled Trial of Brief
Intervention in Substance Use Disorders
7. Developing a web portal and online assessment
and intervention module for problem alcohol users (a
multi-country, WHO headquarter project, ongoing)
Projects
sponsored by WHO (India) and Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare, Government of India:
· A survey of prevalence of drug dependence and
co-morbidity in the general population of
Thrissur
· Evaluation of government de-addiction centres in
the country
· Advanced Statistical Analysis of National Survey
data and AIIMS Survey data on drug abuse
using new methodologies without the addition of new data
· Tobacco as a gateway drug and the prevalence of
substance use behavioural disorders
including tobacco in Metropolis Delhi
· Rapid Assessment Survey Project on Alcohol, Tobacco and other
substances in the Districts of
Darjeeling, Kohima, Aizwal
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Rapid Assessment Survey Project on Alcohol,
Tobacco and other substances in the districts of
North Goa, Jodhpur, Madras
· Buprenorphine maintenance programme in Kohima
district
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Identification and Management of Alcohol Use
Related Disorders in two Districts Hospital in Goa
· Workshop on strengthening of De-addiction centers
· Workshop on streamlining of Opium registry in
India
· Workshop on managing alcohol use in primary care
settings in India
Project sponsored by Ministry of Health & Family
Welfare, Government of India
· Community based pilot project: Multi-centred
Project at Mandsaur (MP), Barabanki (UP) and Imphal (Manipur)
Project sponsored by the Ministry of Finance,
Government of India
· Health Status of Workers at Government Opium and
Alkaloid Factory, Ghazipur, U.P.
Project sponsored by Department of Science and
Technology (DST), Government of India:
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Opioids in autonomic control: Effect of physical
training.
Projects sponsored by Centre for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India:
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Role of dopamine in experimentally induced
nicotine tolerant rate
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Role of Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitors in
Modifying Nicotine Withdrawals in Rats
Project sponsored by other agencies:
· Post-marketing Surveillance of Higher Strength
(0.4 & 2.0mg) Buprenorphine
· Post
Marketing Surveillance of Addnok-N (combination of Buprenorphine
and Naloxone),
sponsored by Rusan Pharma, June 2006
· Genetic basis of Alcohol Induced Pancreatic
Disorders. with Dept of Gastroentrology, AIIMS,
funded by ICMR
· Phase – 2 clinical study to evaluate the safety
and efficacy of ESD-27 in patients of chronic
primary insomnia. Interdepartmental project with Dept. of
Neurology (Neurophysiology Section) Funded by
Himalaya Drug Company.
· Distribution of alleles at the human ALDH2 and
ADH2 Loci in North Indian subjects Size estimation of IDU at 300 sites in India, in
collaboration with SPYM, New Delhi, funded by
DFID (UK)
· Size estimation of IDU at Punjab and Haryana, in
collaboration with SPYM, New Delhi, funded by
UNAIDS
Project sponsored by AIIMS:
· Concurrent and discriminant validity of Alcohol
Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in Urban Community and
De-addiction centre Sample.
· Blocking of Enhanced Sensitivity to Behavioural
Effects of naloxone Induced by Narcotic Agonists in Rats
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Effects of the NMDA Receptor Antagonist (Ketamine)
to the Operant Decrement produced by naloxone in
Morphine-treated Rats
· Brief Intervention in Alcohol Use: A community
based comparative study
Others:
Most of the activities of the centre have been published as
Books and monographs and research reports. In last four years,
the faculty has produced about 40 publications in scientific
journals and made various presentations at scientific
conferences in the country as well as all over the world.
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