Experimental TESTing on Heroin and opioid OverDose
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experimental Study of Heroin and Opioid Overdose in a heroin-using population
IRAS ID
350496
Contact name
John Strang
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
Opioid overdose is a serious problem worldwide, with a significant increase in deaths reported in England and Wales over the past decade. Heroin and similar drugs affect the brain and can slow down breathing, which can lead to overdose and death. However, it's still not clear why some people overdose even when they take the same amount of heroin as others. This study will focus on people who are not in treatment and crucially, those who are the most vulnerable to the risk of heroin overdose.
This study aims to answer why some people are more likely to overdose on heroin than others, even when taking the same amount. It also seeks to understand how heroin affects breathing and other bodily functions.
Understanding the factors that contribute to heroin overdose is crucial for saving lives. By learning more about how heroin affects the body and why some people are more at risk, we can develop better overdose prevention strategies and improved responses to overdose emergencies. Ultimately, it could help reduce the number of opioid-related deaths and save lives.
The study will involve 20 recreational heroin users who are not seeking treatment. Participants will attend 4-6 study sessions (each session lasting 3-4 hours), receive increasing doses of diamorphine (pharmaceutical heroin) in a clinical research setting, and their breathing and other bodily functions will be monitored before and after taking the drug. Participants will also provide feedback on how the drug makes them feel.
This research is funded by the Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
Recruitment for the study will be through advertisements and word of mouth and the study site will be the King’s College Hospital Clinical Research Facility, a specialised medical facility where clinical studies are conducted under controlled conditions and safety can be monitored and managed.REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0152
Date of REC Opinion
4 Mar 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion