PhARM Program

What PhARM Program does

PhARM (Pharmacy Addictions Research and Medicine) Program is an academic research and education initiative housed within The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, established in 2016 (with a conflicting 2020 listing). Its stated mission is to address systemic barriers, inequities, and stigma related to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction, with a particular focus on opioid use disorder (OUD) and pharmacy access to buprenorphine and naloxone. The program is led by Director Tyler Varisco (PharmD, PhD) and Associate Directors Lindsey Loera (PharmD) and Jennifer Bosworth (PharmD), supported by a multidisciplinary team of approximately 14 faculty, staff, consultants, affiliate faculty, and trainees.

The program's core outputs are clinical guidelines, patient-facing educational resources, peer-reviewed publications, and trainee internships rather than commercial software products. Key resources include the PhARM-OUD Guideline (clinical recommendations for pharmacy-based OUD treatment, hosted on the NABP site), the Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients, the Pharmacy Patient's Bill of Rights, the Accessing Buprenorphine Pamphlet, and naloxone stability information. Research is disseminated through journals such as J Gen Intern Med, Drug Alcohol Depend Rep, JAMA Network Open, and Substance Use and Addiction Journal, and a long-running Operation Naloxone initiative reached its 10-year anniversary in 2026. A P3 Research Assistant Internship pays up to two UT Austin pharmacy students $20/hour for 5–10 hours per week across a year-long engagement.

PhARM operates as a grant-funded, non-commercial program within a public university. It does not charge for its resources, has no disclosed revenue, no paying customers, no app, and no proprietary software platform. Distribution is via pharmprogram.org, an email newsletter, academic publications, and earned media in outlets such as The Guardian, Filter Magazine, Salon, and the Narcotica Podcast. Educational partnerships with TEACH OUD (national) and TXOTI (Texas) extend the program's reach into broader OUD education networks. The organization's value is measured in research impact, clinical resource adoption, and trainee development rather than commercial growth.

Name

PhARM Program

Legal name

PhARM Program

Website

https://pharmprogram.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PhARM Program is an academic research and education initiative at The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy that develops clinical guidelines, patient resources, and peer-reviewed research on opioid use disorder treatment, buprenorphine access, and harm reduction for healthcare professionals, patients, and community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Substance Use Disorder Research and Education

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (62142)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Schools of Pharmacy (EDAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medication Therapy Management (MTM) & Clinical Pharmacy Services Tools (HLACAKAH), Medication Education, Counseling & Side-Effect Monitoring (HSABALAJ), Controlled Substance ePrescribing (EPCS), Diversion Monitoring & Compliance (HLACAKAJ)

Keywords

• Substance use disorder research
• Opioid use disorder treatment
• Harm reduction education
• Buprenorphine pharmacy access
• Addiction medicine resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin, Texas

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. Research Grants and Funding: As an academic program at The University of Texas at Austin, the PhARM Program operates as a grant-funded research initiative addressing substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The PhARM Program (Pharmacy Addictions Research & Medicine) is an academic research and education initiative within The University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy that conducts research and distributes free educational resources on substance use disorder treatment, buprenorphine pharmacy access, and harm reduction. Its core offerings include the Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients, the PhARM-OUD Guideline, the Pharmacy Patient's Bill of Rights, the Accessing Buprenorphine Pamphlet, Naloxone Stability Information, peer-reviewed publications, annual reports, and a paid P3 Research Assistant Internship for pharmacy students.

Product overview

PhARM Program is a research and education initiative at The University of Texas at Austin, not a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of educational resources, clinical guidelines, and academic publications focused on substance use disorder treatment and harm reduction. The core resources include the Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients (patient-facing guide), the PhARM-OUD Guideline (clinical recommendations), the Pharmacy Patient's Bill of Rights, and the Accessing Buprenorphine Pamphlet. Supporting offerings include peer-reviewed publications, annual reports documenting research accomplishments, and a P3 Research Assistant Internship program for pharmacy students. The program also maintains educational partnerships with TEACH OUD and TXOTI (Texas Occupational Therapy Institute).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pharmacy Guide for Buprenorphine Patients A patient-facing educational guide that helps buprenorphine patients navigate common pharmacy challenges including stocking issues, insurance requirements, and medication transfers.
• PhARM-OUD Guideline The Pharmacy Access to Resources and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (PhARM-OUD) Guideline providing clinical recommendations for pharmacy-based OUD treatment, distributed to pharmacists and healthcare professionals.
• Pharmacy Patient's Bill of Rights Educational resource informing patients of their rights when accessing buprenorphine at pharmacies, distributed as a free downloadable PDF.
• Accessing Buprenorphine Pamphlet A guide for patients explaining how to access buprenorphine at pharmacies, covering Suboxone, Subutex, and Zubsolv medications.
• Annual Reports Annual reports documenting the program's research accomplishments, faculty achievements, and trainee progress from 2021-2026.
• P3 Research Assistant Internship A year-long paid internship for University of Texas at Austin P2 College of Pharmacy students to conduct addiction medicine research during their P3 year, working remotely 5-10 hours per week at $20/hour.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TXOTI (Texas Organized Transitional Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with TXOTI, which promotes evidence-based practices for substance use disorders. Listed as part of the program's educational initiatives alongside TEACH OUD.
• TEACH OUDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with TEACH OUD (Treatment, Education, and Clinical Help for Opioid Use Disorder), a national initiative supporting OUD education. Listed alongside TXOTI as part of PhARM's educational programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is one of the largest US addiction treatment and education organizations, providing clinical care, professional training, and research. PhARM's academic and educational focus on SUD treatment overlaps with Hazelden Betty Ford's professional training programs.
• National Harm Reduction Coalition: National Harm Reduction Coalition is a large established advocacy and training organization promoting harm reduction approaches including naloxone distribution. PhARM overlaps directly in harm reduction education, overdose prevention, and community resource development.
• Shatterproof: Shatterproof is a national nonprofit focused on ending addiction, particularly opioid use disorder, through public education, advocacy, and treatment access initiatives. PhARM's mission to address systemic barriers and stigma in evidence-based SUD treatment aligns closely with Shatterproof's broader scope.
• Drug Policy Alliance: Drug Policy Alliance is a leading national advocacy organization promoting drug policy reform and harm reduction. PhARM's research and education focus on stigma reduction and treatment access aligns with DPA's policy and education work, especially on controlled substance regulation.
• American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM): ASAM is the largest professional society focused on addiction medicine, producing clinical practice guidelines and clinician toolkits (including OUD-related materials referenced by PhARM). It is the closest professional-body peer in setting standards for addiction treatment that PhARM's guidelines complement.

Emerging players

• Bicycle Health: Bicycle Health is a virtual OUD treatment platform that prescribes and manages buprenorphine via telehealth, with pharmacy partnerships. While commercial rather than academic, it directly competes for influence over pharmacy-based buprenorphine delivery — the same problem space PhARM addresses with its guidelines.
• Workit Health: Workit Health provides online substance use disorder treatment, including medication-assisted treatment for OUD, with pharmacist-integrated care. It overlaps with PhARM's mission to expand access to evidence-based OUD medications and harm reduction support.
• Ophelia: Ophelia is a telehealth OUD treatment provider prescribing buprenorphine and partnering with community pharmacies. Like PhARM, it is focused on reducing barriers to pharmacy-based OUD medication access, though Ophelia delivers clinical care rather than research and guidelines.

Direct peers

• TEACH OUD: TEACH OUD (Treatment, Education, and Clinical Help for Opioid Use Disorder) is a national pharmacy education initiative on OUD treatment, explicitly listed by PhARM as an educational partner. Both target pharmacy workforce education on buprenorphine dispensing and OUD care, making TEACH OUD the closest direct peer in mission and audience.

Regional players

• Texas Harm Reduction Alliance: A Texas-focused harm reduction organization providing naloxone distribution and community-based services in the same geography PhARM targets. Both work on overdose prevention and community-level harm reduction within Texas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pharm-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about PhARM Program