ACTTION

What ACTTION does

ACTTION (Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks) is an academic research consortium established in 2011 and hosted at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. It was created to optimize the quality and informativeness of clinical trial methodologies for evaluating novel preventive, disease-modifying, and symptomatic treatments for pain, anesthesia, and addiction. ACTTION develops and disseminates standardized clinical trial tools through three proprietary databases (RReACT for registered analgesic clinical trials, RReADS for analgesic device studies, and RReMIT for migraine trials), foundational pain classification taxonomies (AAPT with the American Pain Society and AAAPT with the American Academy of Pain Medicine), and the ACTTION Guide to Clinical Trials of Pain Treatments published in Pain Reports. The consortium operates through three specialized units: CARES (addiction research), COPESS (pain efficacy and safety), and COPASETIQ (patient and stakeholder engagement), and collaborates closely with the IMMPACT initiative.

ACTTION operates as a public-private partnership rather than a commercial enterprise, with no products sold and no prices charged. Outputs are distributed as open-access resources for the research community. Its core technology is methodological and curatorial: curated trial registries, evidence-based consensus frameworks, and over 180 peer-reviewed publications spanning 2003-2025, many developed through the IMMPACT consensus process. The organization is led by Robert H. Dworkin (Director) and Dennis C. Turk (Co-Director), with specialized directors in biostatistics, clinimetrics, translational science, and stakeholder engagement. The website is illustrated with bridges symbolizing the international scope of the consortium's work.

ACTTION funds its activities through a diversified mix of federal grants and contracts (principally from the U.S. FDA), industry sponsorship from pharmaceutical and device companies (Collegium, Lilly, Pacira, and Pfizer most recently acknowledged for 2020-2022), philanthropy and foundations, and royalties from adopted methodologies. All funds are held by the University of Rochester as custodian, with the ACTTION Management Committee authorizing payments on a quarterly basis. The consortium does not have external investors, parent companies, or a commercial sales channel, and its stakeholders comprise academic researchers, government health agencies, pharmaceutical and device companies, patient advocacy groups, and professional medical societies.

Name

ACTTION

Legal name

Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks

Website

https://acttion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACTTION is a 2011-founded academic research consortium hosted at the University of Rochester that develops clinical trial methodologies, databases, and pain taxonomies for analgesic, anesthetic, and addiction treatments, serving academic researchers, the FDA, pharmaceutical companies, and professional societies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAIAAAN

Pain Management & Anesthesiology Pharmaceuticals

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Branded (Innovator) Pharmaceuticals

SECONDARYHLACAOAN

Regulatory Submissions & Clinical Content Management (eCTD/Publishing)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Digital Health & Health IT/Clinical Trials & Research Informatics (eCOA/ePRO/EDC)

SECONDARYHLAJACAF

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Policy, Regulation & Compliance Authorities

Keywords

• Clinical trial research
• Pain research methodologies
• Analgesic clinical trials
• Clinical research consortium
• Trial outcome measures

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Federal Grants and Contracts: ACTTION receives grants and contracts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other national government agencies for research coordination and methodology development.
2. Industry Sponsorship: Pharmaceutical and device companies provide financial support. ACTTION gratefully acknowledges support from Collegium, Lilly, Pacira, and Pfizer (2020-2022). Funds are held by the University of Rochester as custodian.
3. Philanthropy and Foundations: Support from foundations and philanthropic organizations as part of the organization's broad stakeholder engagement strategy.
4. Royalties: ACTTION generates royalties from its research methodologies, taxonomies, and published guidelines that have been adopted in clinical trials.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ACTTION is an academic research consortium that identifies, prioritizes, coordinates, and sponsors innovative activities to expedite development of analgesic, anesthetic, and addiction therapeutic interventions. It maintains open-access databases tracking registered clinical trials (RReACT, RReADS, RReMIT), develops evidence-based pain taxonomies (AAPT, AAAPT), produces IMMPACT consensus recommendations for clinical trial outcome measures, and coordinates multi-stakeholder collaborations among academia, FDA, industry, professional societies, and patient advocacy groups.

Product overview

ACTTION (Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks) is a research consortium rather than a product company. It provides research databases including the RReACT Database (Registered Analgesic Clinical Trials), RReADS Database (Registered Analgesic Device Studies), and RReMIT Database (Registered Migraine Trials), along with the ACTTION Guide to Clinical Trials of Pain Treatments. The organization also supports consortia including CARES, COPESS, and COPASETIQ, and collaborates with the IMMPACT initiative. Funding comes from industry sponsorship, philanthropy, and royalties held by the University of Rochester.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RReACT Database: Repository of Registered Analgesic Clinical Trials - provides snapshots of registered analgesic clinical trials and scorecards for public availability of results.
• RReADS Database
• RReMIT Database
• IMMPACT

Products and services

• RReACT Database
• RReADS Database
• RReMIT Database
• CARES (Consortium for Addiction Research on Efficacy and Safety)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IMMPACT (Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMMPACT is a related initiative that ACTTION works closely with to develop consensus recommendations for clinical trial methodology. Many ACTTION publications are IMMPACT articles, and the organizations share leadership (Robert H. Dworkin and Dennis C. Turk serve in key roles for both). IMMPACT is referenced as a linked resource on the ACTTION website.
• Consortium for Addiction Research on Efficacy and Safety (CARES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACTTION-hosted consortium focused on addiction research including opioid use disorders, stimulant addiction, and cannabis use disorders. Led by Eric C. Strain, MD (Chair) and Brian D. Kiluk, PhD (Co-Chair). Conducts consensus meetings and develops outcome measures for addiction clinical trials.
• Consortium on Pain Efficacy and Safety Studies (COPESS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACTTION-hosted consortium focused on pain treatment efficacy and safety studies. Led by Dennis C. Turk, PhD (Chair) and Robert H. Dworkin, PhD (Co-Chair), with Christin Veasley as Director of Patient Engagement.
• Center on Patient And Stakeholder Engagement for Trial Innovation and Quality (COPASETIQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACTTION-hosted center focused on patient and stakeholder engagement in clinical trial design and conduct. Led by Dale J. Langford, PhD (Chair) and Christin Veasley, BS (Co-Chair).
• University of RochestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry serves as the administrative home and custodian of ACTTION funds. Robert H. Dworkin is based at this institution. The university relies on quarterly budget review by the ACTTION Management Committee for payment authorization.
• American Pain Society (APS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society collaborating with ACTTION on the ACTTION-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT), a multidimensional approach to classifying chronic pain conditions.
• American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society collaborating with ACTTION and APS on the ACTTION-APS-AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) for acute pain conditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ACTTION