The Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Research Program funds research that investigates potential treatment strategies for Service Members and their Families, Veterans, and the public experiencing both posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder or other substance use disorders. These conditions frequently co-occur, amplifying the other’s effects and complicating recovery. While AUD involves an inability to control drinking due to both a physical and emotional dependence on alcohol, SUD includes uncontrolled use and preoccupation with a broader range of substances, such as opioids and stimulants.
Warfighters and Veterans with deployment histories may be at an increased risk of engaging in unhealthy substance use, including heavy drinking, binge drinking and smoking [tobacco]. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports that four out of 10 adults with PTSD also experience AUD. Individuals with both PTSD and AUD face an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and suicide, highlighting the need for targeted treatment strategies.
Since fiscal year 2010, Congress appropriated $60 million for ASUDRP to accelerate delivery of new pharmacotherapeutics for AUD and SUD, particularly when these disorders co-exist with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and other mental health conditions.
A Collaborative Effort: ASUDRP and the PASA Consortium
The ASUDRP prioritizes collaborative, results-driven research for AUD and SUD through a consortium award funding model. First funded in 2015, the Pharmacotherapies for Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders Alliance, or PASA, Consortium brings together 24 research sites and 16 pharmaceutical collaborators to discover new or improve existing ASUD treatments through preclinical research, ensuring safety in human trials, and testing effectiveness while tailoring treatment plans for individuals with co-occurrence of conditions like PTSD and ASUD.
Ongoing Research into a Promising New Treatment Option
Through a PASA Consortium subaward, Andrea Cippitelli, Ph.D., and his team at Florida Atlantic University, investigated PPL-138 as a non-addictive treatment for pain and traumatic stress-induced alcohol use.
“My colleagues and I are extremely grateful to the ASUDRP and to the PASA Consortium for the opportunity to utilize a model of PTSD to conduct research on the three conditions that are frequently comorbid with PTSD and affect a large part of the population: AUD, anxiety and pain,” Cippitelli said. “Thanks to their support, we have been able to model PTSD-AUD comorbidity and to evaluate the effects of a promising compound, licensed by Phoenix PharmaLabs and named PPL-138, when these two conditions coexist.”
According to Cippitelli, his team’s preclinical studies supported by PASA show PPL-138 reduced behaviors associated with PTSD and AUD.
“We believe the present results, obtained with rigorous experimental approaches, have remarkable translational value. PPL-138 is in clinical development for treatment of cocaine use disorder and may soon become a real option for therapy of individuals suffering from PTSD-AUD comorbidity,” Cippitelli said.
For more information about ASUDRP, visit cdmrp.health.mil/asudrp.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2025 10:04 |
| Story ID: | 501682 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 29 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CDMRP-Funded Research Investigates Potential Treatment for the Co-Occurrence of PTSD and Alcohol Use Disorder, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
