Author: NAABT.org
Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 8:11 pm
Tearj3rker,
Why are you so angry with me? Exactly what are you accusing me of? I really don’t know what you think you are uncovering, but I’ve explained the origins of NAABT earlier but here it is again (below) Early on when I first learned about the remarkable attributes of buprenorphine and the general lack of understanding of addiction on the web I bought many, many domain names, not knowing which ones would be best to get the word out, and hoping I could sell or trade some. Some have been sold some have been given away, some I still have. RB was among those who received some of the domains. After a domain is transferred I have no way of altering any of the previous information. I don’t work for RB and NAABT is completely independent, as I’ve stated repeatedly.
We are not required to divulge who any of our donors are, we decided to do it for openness, but I’m starting to see why the others have not.
Tim
| NAABT.org wrote: |
| NAABT History
NAABT, Inc. In the late 90s a very close friend of mine was addicted to opioids and was headed toward death. He had tried all forms of rehab and nothing worked, at least not long term. In 1998 he was able to enroll in a pre-FDA buprenorphine study at Yale, and it saved his life. I was amazed at how quickly he turned his life around and thought once bupe became FDA approved it would change addiction treatment forever. When it was approved in 2002 it was slow to catch on, few doctors were trained, many were skeptical, stigma was high, competing treatments raised questions, and the result was people were dieing while this treatment remained virtually unknown. Myself, Nancy, a graphic designer, and Kathleen, a buprenorphine research nurse from Yale, started to spread the word by the web and speaking to groups. We soon realized we could reach more people, and provide more help with more financial resources. So about a year after starting our outreach we approached Reckitt Benckiser, since they were the only manufacturer of a buprenorphine product for opioid addiction. They agreed to help support our efforts with an “unrestricted educational grant�, and we are very grateful to them. This allowed us to create a more comprehensive resource and publicize it. Since then, Kathleen and Nancy are no longer directly associated with NAABT, Inc. Kathleen works at Yale full time and Nancy runs a small advertising agency and volunteers at www.AddictionSurvivors.org an independent online peer support community that does not receive any funding from any companies. We were worried some people who didn’t know what an “unrestricted educational grant� was, would think we worked for the pharmaceutical company because we accepted a grant, but felt the site would speak for itself and we would reach many more people than we otherwise could. RB is not the only contributor, Alkermes Inc, the maker of Vivitrol has been a contributor along with several gracious physicians who use the matching service, and of course several patients and their loved ones who have been touched by addiction and saved in part by buprenorphine and the service we provide, Google, Inc. has provided a grant as well. These donations make the matching system possible. www.TreatmentMatch.org It has connected over 35,000 patients to treatment that have been unable to find treatment by calling doctors. It also allows us to create public service announcements, promote the site, create, print and mail educational materials. There have been over 4.8 million visitors to the NAABT site, looking for lifesaving information for themselves or a loved one, with over 1,000,000 downloads of the educational material. Contributions from pharmaceutical companies are in the form of “unrestricted educational grants� it is illegal for them to influence or control what we do with the funds. They are not at all involved in NAABT’s mission or how we use the grant. More information about NAABT can be found at www.naabt.org/about_us.cfm
Tim |
Highwayman,
I’m sorry that our service didn’t work out for you, but you are clearly expecting something it is not. Your multiple accounts received over 300 physician responses. It’s designed to help a patient find a doctor who has openings which it did for you over 300 times. Clearly you feel entitled to something more from our free service that it isn’t designed to provide. Please do not use our system as its clear it will not meet your expectation. I wish you were not so angry we tried to help please see the link in my earlier post for alternative ways to find treatment.
| tearj3rker wrote: |
| However the idea that any "grant" from a company is completely no-strings-attached is far fetched, especially if the majority of funding comes from one source…. If your website started publishing data and opinions that portrayed Suboxone in a negative light, your funding would be pulled. That fact in itself shows the extent of influence of those who hold NAABT’s purse strings. |
I learned about buprenorphine and wanted to get the word out about it before I ever heard of RB. My support for bupe education developed totally independent of any RB influence. If you are saying that RB would never have provided donations if we were a site posting misinformation about buprenorphine, then I agree. But the fact that the evidence surrounding a lifesaving treatment is primarily positive, and that the manufacturer benefits and agrees with the evidence, doesn’t mean that they have influence over what we say. I’m sure if the company didn’t agree with our point of view, they would have had no interest in contributing. But that’s not to say our point of view is contingent on theirs. Our point of view remains consistent with the current body of evidence and will only change if it does. Last year RB informed us that they would no longer be providing further educational grants to NAABT. Nothing changed. Our message remained the same, we continued to provide the same educational information just as we did when we were receiving contributions, and before we were receiving contributions. The information we provide is evidence-based not donor-based. If I am able to secure an educational grant from others the evidence-based standard will not change then either.
Here’s a test of our integrity and evidence that our info isn’t biased toward a donor; NAABT also has a site for alcohol addiction, see if you can tell which company provided the majority of funding for it. www.AlcoholAnswers.org –you’ll see that no pharmaceutical is highlighted over others and the information provided is evidence-based not donor-based. With several possible companies (instead of just 1 as with bupe) its harder to make a claim of bias.
Does anybody have any objections about the actual educational content of NAABT.org? Is there something you feel is misleading, dishonest, or incorrect?
Tim
