Russia, Science, and Opiates: Dr. George E. Woody Talks International Collaboration

I recently had an opportunity to speak with Dr. George E. Woody, a leading expert in the relationship between drug addiction and HIV. Listen as we discuss his work in Russia, the challenges of international collaboration, and the benefits of international research.

Dr. Woody is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Principal Investigator of the Delaware Valley Node of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network. For more than 15 years, he and his fellow collaborators, Drs. Edwin Zvartau and Evgeny Krupitsky, professors at Pavlov State Medical University in St. Petersburg, Russia, have been working with CRDF Global to conduct research to help find alternative treatments for HIV patients struggling with drug addictions.
For many HIV positive patients, adhering to ART (antiretroviral therapy) programs can be challenging. This can be especially true for patients who are struggling with opioid addiction in addition to their disease. The struggle with or relapse into opioid addiction is a problem that contributes to adverse behaviors of patients including drug-seeking, non-adherence to ART, the development of viral resistance. These behaviors also increase the risk of spreading of the virus.
Utilizing FOCUS financial management services, Zvartau, Krupitsky and Woody have been able to remain focused on developing better, alternative treatment options for addicted patients, instead of being distracted by non-research related and administrative hassles.
“CRDF Solutions provided the support we needed to communicate with regulatory authorities, which aided us significantly in facilitating and conducting our research,” said Dr. Krupitsky, one of the collaborators on these projects. “After 15 years of collaboration through CRDF Global, our relationship remains strong.”