GRACE: Proposing a new GLP-1 based harm reduction strategy for opioid addiction

"Opioid overdoses caused 81,083 deaths in the United States in 2023, nearly double the 2016 rate. Existing policy and treatment programs are failing to achieve significant population level reductions in overdose incidence.

GLP-1 Rapid Access Care (GRACE) is a proposed model of opioid harm reduction that would provide immediate access to GLP-1RA craving reduction treatment for people with OUD without the obstacles to initiation of opioid agonist therapy (OAT) and without requiring abstinence. GRACE can bridge harm reduction and treatment and can be deployed in settings where medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) treatment initiation has not traditionally been possible. This model has the potential to reduce acute harms of OUD, improve patient outcomes, and expand the percentage of people with OUD who initiate and sustain treatment."