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The 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition

About the Challenge
Design an App, Make a Difference! Seeking Innovative Solutions to Getting Naloxone to the People Who Need It.

Posted By: Food and Drug Administration
Category: Software/Apps Skill: Software/Apps Interest: Public Safety Partnership With: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
National Institute on Drug Abuse
 Submission Dates: 9 a.m. ET, Sep 23, 2016 - 11:59 p.m. ET, Nov 07, 2016

In 2014, nearly two million Americans aged 12 or older either abused or were dependent on opioid painkillers, and 61% of drug overdose deaths involved either an opioid painkiller or heroin.  Naloxone is an antidote for an opioid overdose, whether from prescription opioids or heroin.  It is a prescription drug with few side effects that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.  Although most frequently used in emergency rooms and on ambulances, many states have recently taken steps to make it easier for people in the general public, including family and friends of drug users, to carry and administer naloxone.

Despite the increasing availability of naloxone, people carrying naloxone are often unaware when an overdose occurs nearby.  Currently, there are no mechanisms to alert carriers of naloxone to a person in need of the medication.  This is where you come in!

FDA is hosting the 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition to encourage computer scientists, public health advocates, clinical researchers and entrepreneurs to develop creative solutions to this problem.  Specifically, we are looking for innovative ideas for a smartphone app that connects people experiencing an opioid overdose to nearby carriers of naloxone.  We are most interested in concepts that are readily scalable, free or low-cost to the end-user, and take advantage of existing systems for naloxone distribution and use.

How does the Competition work?

  1. You register. See more information about registration below.
  2. You decide whether and how you want to participate in one of our first-ever FDA code-a-thons on Oct. 19-20, 2016! There are options for in-person and virtual participation – learn more in the Rules section.
  3. You refine your concept after the code-a-thon, and then send in your submission – more details about that below.
  4. The submissions are judged, and the entrant with the highest score wins $40,000!

Want to learn more about opioids and naloxone? We’ve pulled together lots of resources to get you started – Click here!

Want to learn more about the Competition? Click on the Rules tab for all the terms and conditions of the Competition.  You can also learn more in the official Federal Register Notice that announced the Competition – Click Here!

Want to learn more about the code-a-thon?

Recording of Day 1 Presentations: https://collaboration.fda.gov/p66yrjt2b1e/

Opioid Epidemic Overview

Naloxone Formulations

Ethnography

Opioid Treatment

EMS and 911

Mobile Health IT

Recording of Day 2 Presentations: https://collaboration.fda.gov/p316i6sm4c4/

NIH SBIR Funding Opportunities

Recording of Team Presentations: https://collaboration.fda.gov/p7wn61s5yjc/

Still have questions? Email us! The Frequently Asked Questions document has also recently been updated: click here!

Send us any additional questions at NaloxoneApp@fda.hhs.gov. You can also feel free to open up a discussion thread in the Discussions tab.

 

Note: Effective November 18, 2016, FDA Chief of Staff Tom Kraus is the award approving official for the 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition, replacing FDA Associate Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco Rachel Sherman in this role.

 

Judges
Peter Lurie
Associate Commissioner/ FDA Public Health Strategy and Analysis, Food and Drug Administration
Bakul Patel
Associate Director for Digital Health/ Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration
Wilson Compton
Deputy Director/ National Institute on Drug Abuse
Sean Khozin
Medical Officer/Food and Drug Administration
Gregorio Vasquez
Information Technology Supervisor/Food and Drug Administration
Natalia Martin
Chief Information Officer Technical Advisor/Food and Drug Administration
Judging Criteria

Innovation - 25%

Uniqueness and innovation in use of software and data analytics to fulfill the mandatory requirements; variety and value of additional features.

Usability - 25%

Use of design elements to increase utilization among both people at risk of opioid overdose and naloxone carriers; ease of navigation; appropriate use of an interface to support the app in achieving desired outcome.

Functionality - 25%

Potential to enhance the frequency and speed of naloxone administration by the carriers to the overdose victims.

Adaptability - 25%

Potential for app to be tailored to the practical environment (e.g., urban, rural) of an individual community.

How to Enter

Thanks for all your enthusiasm and your submissions!  The submission window is now closed.  All eligible submissions will be judged, and a winner will be announced by the end of the calendar year.  Stay tuned!

Winners
First Prize $40,000.00 The entrant with the highest score will be awarded a prize of $40,000. Won by: Pwrdby
Solution: OD Help
Description: OD Help’s concept is a simple, easy-to-use mobile app designed to connect potential opioid overdose victims with a crowd-sourced network of naloxone carriers. OD Help can easily be tailored for use in rural or urban areas by expanding or contracting the radius within which naloxone carriers are sought. An additional innovative feature of OD Help is the optional interface with a breathing monitor to detect when a victim’s breathing rate is dangerously low, a sign of an opioid overdose. Hence, if the victim is alone and unable to call for help, OD Help will detect the diminished breathing and alert a naloxone carrier of the potential overdose. Other features of OD Help include: only alerting people in one’s support network and allowing naloxone carriers to disable alerts when they are unable to respond. The app also provides instructions on how to correctly diagnose an overdose and administer naloxone and helps contact emergency medical services when help is required.
Honorable Mention Won by: Team MIT
Solution: NalNow
Description:

77 Discussions for "The 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition"

  • Show Replies [+]
    mcruz
    December 15, 2016 at 1:19 pm
    We are excited to announce that Team Pwrdby has won the 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition with their app concept OD Help! Read more about their concept at http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2016/12/fdas-naloxone-app-prize-competition-celebrates-innovation-in-search-of-technological-solutions-to-the-opioid-epidemic/

    Reply

    • Reply
      Team B
      December 15, 2016 at 6:39 pm
      Wow Uber, Lyft and Rover agreed to have their logos used on their video. Very impressive. I am shocked given their terms which are so restrictive about us such as from Uber "Promoting Your App. You may not use any Uber Marks in any advertising, promotional or marketing materials for your Services, provided that you may use the name "Uber” in a written description of your Service in order to describe the fact that your Service connects to the Uber Services using the Uber API. The first time that the name appears in any piece of text, it should be followed by a superscript "®"indicating a registered trade mark (i.e. "UBER®"). You must not use the name in any way that takes unfair advantage of our goodwill or reputation in the Uber Marks, and you must not make any suggestion, directly or indirectly, that your app is an official Uber app or is endorsed by Uber in any way." https://developer.uber.com/docs/riders/terms-of-use Equally impressive is that they apparently shot this in June based on the screen from 2:04 and also quite interesting that there is no network status indicator bar or battery stats on the iPhone. Wow, I don't know how you even do that. More surprisingly the text message notification shown at 2:04 is eerily similar to that of an iOS device. Both the system font of the time and date, as well as the layout of both, and, the text message notification are shockingly similar to what you may find on a device residing at your local Apple store. This same phone is shown again at 2:11 when we see it is in fact an Android phone with, also now showing the Android status bars. I am quite intrigued at how this same phone was able to be so similar to an iOS and Android device, could this be a Joint Apple/Google prototype device? Given how tight they are with Uber,Lyft and Rover I guess anything is possible. There is more too. So the FDA chooses this as 1 and a mockup as 2. Feels bad to be someone who actually followed the rules and did a Functional App Prototype per the rules.

      Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Chris Argonish
    November 8, 2016 at 2:53 am
    If teams are not registered in the README of https://github.com/FDA/naloxone-app-competition does that mean they are not eligible? It only looks like 10 companies submitted solutions...

    Reply

    • Reply
      mcruz
      November 8, 2016 at 10:43 am
      Chris, For those teams that participated in the Code-A-Thon, both virtual and in-person, they need to submit their code developed during the Code-A-Thon on GitHub. We will be following up and reminding teams to submit their code. Thanks!

      Reply

      • Reply
        Chris
        November 8, 2016 at 4:02 pm
        Does that mean only teams listed in the source repo are eligible to win? I'm curious to know the full list of projects that were submitted

        Reply

        • Reply
          mcruz
          November 9, 2016 at 4:45 pm
          Chris, Only teams that have provided a submission by November 7th are eligible to win. Teams that participated in the Code-A-Thon need to submit their code developed during the Code-A-Thon on GitHub. We have provided a link to the team presentations at the Code-A-Thon. Thanks!

          Reply

          • Reply
            Team B
            December 15, 2016 at 4:03 pm
            So neither the winning team nor the written about second place team did the codeathon? They are not on the list of submitting work which would make them ineligible had they participated. How many people did the codeathon? I had wanted to but the FDA closed the virtual portion before registration closed stating it was full. I know there were to be 100 slots. It didn't sound like there were 100 virtual participants were there? Will FDA be releasing the participant list or must a FOI request be made? Thank you.

          • Reply
            In response to Team B
            December 15, 2016 at 5:08 pm
            It doesn't seem as though the first or second place teams submitted their solution per the requirements. They are not in the solutions tab of the challenge.gov page, and their codebase doesn't seem to have been made public. Really a shame that not all teams were held to the same standards when submitting their solutions.

          • Reply
            In response to Team B
            December 15, 2016 at 5:14 pm
            To clarify, the press release provided states that there were 45 submissions yet the solutions tab of the challenge.gov website show 17. This begs the question whether or not the remaining applicants submitted their solution on time and followed the requirements listed in the competition rules (i.e. for all we know they may not have written a single line of code when their solution was submitted).

          • Reply
            In response to In response to Team B
            December 15, 2016 at 5:22 pm
            I know I kept mine from being public when I submitted early. So just because it does not show in the 17 does not mean anything. Also I did not upload code as the FDA said they were full at the virtual codeathon so we could not sign up. You needed a FUNCTIONAL APP PROTOTYPE (though many did not and just showed wireframes and mockups), if you did the codeathon you needed to put your code up. I am assuming that the winner also provided a meaningful relationship letter from the companies they called out such as working with such as UBER etc... I know I am planning on asking UBER when they will be delivering in our area. This is a big claim.

    • Reply
      Rauni Malhi
      November 24, 2016 at 11:19 am
      I am a venture capitalist from Canada and w fund law enforcement related technologies and we are very interested in working with a group and funding development on this app for naloxone. Anyone interested in developing this APP and related applications please contact me at k.malhi@dccnet.com.

      Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    stuart rabinowitz
    October 20, 2016 at 12:17 pm
    We have a team at IMS that is looking for someone to join our team with video skills, respond back with your information if you are interested or send me an email at srabinowitz@us.imshealth.com.

    Reply

    • Reply
      Henry Chan
      November 5, 2016 at 2:11 am
      Team IMS, try Moviemaker from Microsoft. You may be able to come up with something to submit. I was surprised how quickly I could master the basic skills for this project. Goog Luck!

      Reply

  • mcruz
    October 20, 2016 at 9:12 am
    Looking forward to hearing team presentations today! Feel free to join the conversation on Gitter - search for the naloxoneapp handle!

    Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Jeff P.
    October 16, 2016 at 7:25 am
    I am the owner of an web/app design company located in Eastern KY. We are at ground zero for the the drug epidemic. I have senselessly lost friends and family to overdose. We would be willing to help. We have a working prototype that we were going to submit. Sadly we missed the deadline to enter by 48 hours. We are looking for a team to join. What are you thinking? Perhaps we could build on each other's idea. We would love to be a part of this competition. We could create something positive. All information is valuable. Please e-mail me if you are interested. Time is short. Thank you for your time.

    Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Ashley Lyles
    October 12, 2016 at 10:45 am
    Hello Everyone, I am a reporter for Scienceline. I am interested in connecting with an app developer, so I can document the design process and how they think the app will work. Please reply to this comment with your email address, and I will follow up with you for more details.

    Reply

  • Nicholas Senger
    October 10, 2016 at 4:50 pm
    Hi, I'm a biochemist turned web/app developer who is in the initial stages of writing a solution to this using React Native with a Python/PostgreSQL back-end. Any other developers interested in collaborating on this? Or are there any teams out there still in need of a developer?

    Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Dani
    October 6, 2016 at 11:32 am
    Hello - does anyone know the programming language that should be used (Java, Python, etc.)? I know the app needs to be compatible with both Anroid and iOS, but not sure if there was specific guidance on this that I may have missed. Thanks!

    Reply

  • Pujish Amin
    October 6, 2016 at 9:52 am
    Hello, I have been EMS over 10 years giving me first hand experience using Naloxone and dealing with overdoses. Conveniently, I am a IT project manager with experience writing specs, building frameworks, testing apps etc. I would like to help design and build this app. In the past I helped design an app for firefighters to locate the closest fire hydrant. email: pujishamin at gmail . com Thank You, Pujish Amin

    Reply

  • Andrew Northam
    October 5, 2016 at 12:43 pm
    Hi, Does anyone know of a list of people who have naloxone? Or are we supposed to populate a lost ourselves? -Andrew

    Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    james. hill
    October 5, 2016 at 10:54 am
    looking to assist in or all groups, have extensive first hand knowledge in dealing with overdoses. have been personally involved in bringing some out of a od. or a fall out. i am working on a extensive flow visualization chart. i do not care for any of the prize money, just the naming of the app. i do not wish any recognition. since just finding this challenge , last night i have identified 15 separate points of concern that i believe that some may be overlooked. to start with has anyone come up with how to deal with the situation of a person that is alone and od's , how would help be contacted. how can a person not familiar recognize a od and accessibility to in the app for those that do not have it down loaded. these are just three points that i foresee a a concern.of which i have already addressed in different ways. please feel free to contact me .

    Reply

    • Reply
      Andrew Northam
      October 5, 2016 at 8:40 pm
      I plan on including some recommendations for recognizing an overdose. I found this information sheet from the WHO: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/information-sheet/en/ They have 3 bullet points under opioid overdose.

      Reply

    • Reply
      Jeff P.
      October 14, 2016 at 11:06 pm
      I am the owner of an web/app design company located in Eastern KY. We are at ground zero for the the drug epidemic. I have senselessly lost friends and family to overdose. We would be willing to help. We have a working prototype that we were going to submit. Sadly we missed the deadline to enter by 48 hours. What are you thinking? Perhaps we could build on each other's idea. We would love to be a part of this competition. We could create something positive. All information is valuable. Please e-mail me if you are interested. Thank you for your time. Jeff

      Reply

    • Reply
      Henry Chan
      November 5, 2016 at 2:03 am
      My app is addressing the concerns you mentioned here. I am not sure about the others, but would like to know what else I have missed. Thanks.

      Reply

  • Michael Cigler
    October 4, 2016 at 9:51 pm
    Would love to have you on the team. Please follow on Twitter @stopoddeaths.com. Am setting up first virtual meeting will post details

    Reply

    • Reply
      JJ
      September 30, 2016 at 12:23 pm
      Hi Kathleen I am might be able to help you with the technical side for this challenge. I have a background building mobile and web apps. Let me know if you are interested. Thanks

      Reply

    • Reply
      Sam S
      October 1, 2016 at 10:38 pm
      Hi Kathleen, I am a iOS developer with two apps currently on the App Store with more comping soon. My Github is www.github.com/samwam2 . I would like to work with you and your team on this app challenge. You can contact me at sam@samshowalter.tech . Thanks Sam

      Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Emilie Ikeda
    September 26, 2016 at 2:57 pm
    I am looking to feature an applicant in a news story for WHAG-TV's Montgomery County bureau. Would anyone be willing to discuss their motivation/general idea/importance of this app? Please give me a call at 610-564-1020! I am trying to set something up quickly. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Reply
      Danny
      October 2, 2016 at 8:17 pm
      Hi, I am an student doing iOS mobile development. I also have a background working with the central hospital pharmacy. I have a few ideas already in mind, but would prefer working with a team. Would you be willing to take on another developer?

      Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Erica Liebelt MD
    September 23, 2016 at 7:14 pm
    The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) is interested in exploring a partnership with information technology /mobile app developers and other relevant stakeholders in the state of Washington for the FDA Naloxone App competition. The Washington Poison Center (WAPC) is a statewide provider of immediate, free, and expert treatment advice and assistance on the telephone in case of exposure to poisonous, hazardous, or toxic substances. We receive about 63,000 calls annually from the public and healthcare facilities. These calls originate from the public, prehospital personnel, and healthcare providers, needing emergent advice and recommendations. Naloxone is a life-saving antidote that we recommend regularly to the aforementioned providers. Our services are provided 24/7 x 365. Our organization can provide expert and relevant input to the app developers in using the information about naloxone provided by the FDA (formulations, dosing, indications) to develop a user-friendly and accurate resource. The WAPC has clinical toxicologists, pharmacists, nurses, medical toxicologists, emergency medicine specialists and educators who specialize in the multifaceted issues encompassing opioid overdoses, abuse, treatment, and prevention.

    Reply

    • Reply
      betafind
      September 24, 2016 at 10:22 am
      Hi Erica I am running a healthcare software startup that might be able to help with this challenge. We have a strong experience with native mobile and web apps. Let me know if you might be interested.

      Reply

    • Reply
      Emilie Ikeda
      September 26, 2016 at 2:59 pm
      Would you be willing to be featured in a news story for WHAG-TV's Montgomery County bureau? I'd love to discuss your motivation/general idea/importance of this app? Please give me a call at 610-564-1020 or email me at eikeda@whag.com! I am trying to set something up quickly. Thanks!

      Reply

    • Reply
      Prakash Manglanathan
      September 30, 2016 at 11:49 am
      Hi Erica, We are a team of developers very interested in participating in this challenge. You can reach me on 703-901-5738 or prakash.manglanathan@me.com. Regards, Prakash

      Reply

    • Reply
      Jeff LeBrun
      October 6, 2016 at 6:40 pm
      Hi Erica - We'd be interested in discussing. We have a team of developers based in Seattle. Our core product, pillsy (www.pillsy.com) uses connected hardware and software to help people manage and track medications. We've had some ideas about how we could extend our capabilities for this use case. We can build customer hardware, mobile apps, and software.

      Reply

    • Reply
      Henry Chan
      November 5, 2016 at 2:08 am
      I have already submitted my work. I believe I have a good chance to win. This is not the only reason I join the contest. If there is a chance we can meet and talk about my app, my invention, and my service, I would like to get in touch.

      Reply

  • Show Replies [+]
    Manzur Khan
    September 23, 2016 at 11:36 am
    Hello fellows, I am looking for someone with technical skills to put an idea to reality. Currently I am working with one of the largest behavioral healthcare system and in process of forming a strategy to tackle this issue. Skills in JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, nodejs will be helpful. Please feel free to buzz me if you like to join. Our passion to help others could save countless lives.

    Reply

    • Reply
      Darius Davis
      September 23, 2016 at 11:46 am
      Hello - I would like to recruit a team to work on this project. My background consists of mobile and web application development. I am seeking developers and medical professionals in the Chicago area - remote people are great too! My email is darius@southsideit.com

      Reply

    • Reply
      Danny Nguyen
      September 30, 2016 at 12:07 pm
      Hello, I am an iOS mobile developer in Frisco with experience with the EPIC system during my time in the central hospital pharmacy. I am interested in collaborating with a team and discuss different strategies to solve this problem. I have a few ideas and a list of features I would like to implement. I am currently working on the architecture for this app. Hopefully we can further discuss some of these ideas together.

      Reply

    • Reply
      Jeff LeBrun
      October 6, 2016 at 6:46 pm
      Hello Manzur, I saw your post. Our team recently built a product called "Pillsy" that helps people remember & track their medications. We are a javascript shop and our back end is based on the MEAN stack (Mongo.db, Express.js, Angular.js, Node.js). We also have iOS, Android apps, and we've designed customer Bluetooth 4.0 hardware, including geolocation features (similar to Tile). We probably would not have the bandwidth to build something really substantial on speculation of winning a prize but it could be worth discussing. - Jeff

      Reply

    • Reply
      Don
      September 23, 2016 at 10:07 am
      Hi Michael! I would like to join your team if you are still interested. I have a medical background so will be able to contribute from that standpoint. Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

      Reply

      • Reply
        Michael Cigler
        September 23, 2016 at 6:02 pm
        I would love to have you on board. Not sure how this discussion platform let's us share info but if could please email me your contact info. I'd like to schedule a vitual team meeting for team members to get to know each other and share ideas

        Reply

    • Reply
      Adrian Turika
      September 23, 2016 at 11:05 am
      Hi Michael, I would be interested in forming a Team as well. I'm currently employed as a Network Engineer and have experience coding in Python and in business development. I would say I'm an entrepreneur that has enough know-how to get projects off the ground and am particularly passionate about this challenge being offered.

      Reply

      • Reply
        Michael Cigler
        September 23, 2016 at 5:59 pm
        I would love to have you on board. Not sure how this discussion platform let's us share info but if could please email me your contact info. I'd like to schedule a vitual team meeting for team members to get to know each other and share ideas

        Reply

    • Reply
      Ian Sellick
      September 28, 2016 at 6:23 pm
      Hi michael i would be interested in speaking to your self in regard to this. Look forward to hearing from you. Ian Selliick in the UK.

      Reply

      • Reply
        michael cigler
        October 4, 2016 at 10:00 pm
        Hi organizing distribution list. Would love to have you on board. For now please follow @stopoddeaths on twitter and I will be posting updates and meeting schedule furor first virtual session

        Reply

    • Reply
      Scott Markman
      September 29, 2016 at 9:33 pm
      Hi Michael. I'm up for collaborating with you. I have a lot of UI experience and I can help bounce ideas off of. Thank you, Scott

      Reply

      • Reply
        michael cigler
        October 4, 2016 at 10:02 pm
        Hi would love to have you on board. Forming a distribution list. For now, please follow on @stopoddeaths for updates and schedule for our first online session. Thanks Michael

        Reply

    • Reply
      Kathleen M. Wolz
      September 30, 2016 at 11:30 am
      Hi Michael, I am a nursing professor who with a paramedic/pre med student are looking for an experience programmer/app developer. I currently have a nursing/medical app available in IOS PharmaKnowledgy and have several more apps in development. My two programmers work full time and are unable to assist me with this project. So I am frantically searching for someone. Feel free to check out my app and my website. Thanks, Kathy

      Reply

    • Reply
      Tsitsi McLure
      October 3, 2016 at 9:24 pm
      Hi Michael, You sound like someone I would ne happy to team up with in this interesting venture. I am a registered nurse and have the experience of seeing the human side of it. I have a few ideas up my sleeve that will be helpful in putting an App together for the benefit of our community.

      Reply

      • Reply
        michael cigler
        October 4, 2016 at 10:04 pm
        Hi would love to have you on board. Please follow on twitter for now @stopoddeaths for updates and schedule for our first virtual team meeting

        Reply

    • Reply
      jyotsna mehta
      October 11, 2016 at 9:31 am
      hi folks, I am interested in joining your teams. I am a pharmacist and research scientist and work for a pharmaceutical company that manufacturers drugs for opioid overdose and other CNS diseases so aware of the problem at hand. Please contact me iamjyotsna@gmail.com to get started.

      Reply

Add to the Discussion

Solutions View as List

Opioid Panic Button

Opioid Panic Button
View this solution
Attached is my submission for the app competition. My youtube video can be found at:

Naloxone Solution – System Green

Naloxone Solution – System Green
View this solution
System Green find the quikest time to deliver drug via drone/EMS/Cops/Hybrid depending on the use

Rebound

Rebound
View this solution
2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition

inarCAN

inarCAN
View this solution
inarCAN was developed by a team of pharmacists and student pharmacists in public health and app d

Team StopCode

Team StopCode
View this solution
Team StopCode Jeffrey Baitis, MS2

Butterfly by Charm City Coders

Butterfly by Charm City Coders
View this solution

Mercy Mobile

Mercy Mobile
View this solution
Mercy Mobile is designed to let carriers of Naloxone register to be anonymously notified when som

ODResponse

ODResponse
View this solution
ODResponse connects patien

NaloxAid

NaloxAid
View this solution
Life-saving, collaborative innovation utilizing blockchain technology         

FindNaloxone

FindNaloxone
View this solution
All related files are included in README file of github repo. Thank you for your considera

NalNow: a crowdsourced mobile app that engages and empowers local communities to quickly bring naloxone to those who need it

NalNow: a crowdsourced mobile app that engages and empowers local communities to quickly bring naloxone to those who need it
View this solution
NalNow is a crowdsourced mobile app that engages and empowers loc

OhioHealth and Pillar Technology Present: OpiAlert

OhioHealth and Pillar Technology Present: OpiAlert
View this solution
OhioHealth and Pillar Technology are honored to have the opportu

POPPI – Public Overdose Protection and Pharmaceutical Intervention

POPPI – Public Overdose Protection and Pharmaceutical Intervention
View this solution
A description of you and your team, including your backgrounds and expertise

UNDOPE by Patrick Barrett

UNDOPE by Patrick Barrett
View this solution
UNDOPE is the first comprehensive mobile solution in the battle against opioid addiction.

Edward Ingraham’s Save A Life mobile application

Edward Ingraham’s Save A Life mobile application
View this solution
Naloxone Challenge written documentation with YouTube link also

Kids Help Too!

Kids Help Too!
View this solution
My son, Simon, who is 11 years old, was watching me work with my team “The Optimal Solution

Antidote

Antidote
View this solution
  A description of you and your team, includi


Opioid Panic Button
Naloxone Solution – System Green
Rebound
inarCAN
Team StopCode
Butterfly by Charm City Coders
Mercy Mobile
ODResponse
NaloxAid
FindNaloxone
NalNow: a crowdsourced mobile app that engages and empowers local communities to quickly bring naloxone to those who need it
OhioHealth and Pillar Technology Present: OpiAlert
POPPI – Public Overdose Protection and Pharmaceutical Intervention
UNDOPE by Patrick Barrett
Edward Ingraham’s Save A Life mobile application
Kids Help Too!
Antidote
Rules

Official Rules, Terms and Conditions

Background

The 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition (the competition), announced on Sept. 20, 2016 in the Federal Register, encourages computer programmers, public health advocates, clinical researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators from all disciplines to create teams focused on the development of innovative strategies to combat the rising epidemic of opioid overdose.  Specifically, the competition invites submissions for an app that increases the likelihood of timely naloxone administration by connecting opioid users experiencing an overdose with nearby naloxone carriers. FDA is most interested in concepts that are readily scalable, free or low-cost to the end-user, and take advantage of existing systems for naloxone distribution and use. FDA’s expectation is that any app developed through the competition will be used only with FDA-approved naloxone products.

As explained in the Federal Register Notice, announcing the competition, FDA is sponsoring the competition under section 105 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-258). FDA will be provided with technical expertise by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). NIDA and SAMHSA will each provide one (1) judge with experience in relevant fields including drug use and misuse, clinical trial design, development of mobile medical applications, and public health. Additionally, NIDA and SAMHSA will provide information to competition entrants at the code-a-thon on key issues, including (1) patterns of opioid use and misuse, (2) characteristics of populations at risk of opioid overdose, and (3) data collection and evaluation considerations.

The Federal Register Notice stated, “To be eligible to win a prize under this Challenge, an entrant (individual or entity): Shall have registered and entered a submission on http://www.Challenge.gov and http://www.YouTube.com under the rules promulgated by FDA.” Additionally, the notice points entrants to these rules for additional details on required components of a submission, and the minimum requirements for the proposed app. Accordingly, this document sets forth the official rules, terms and conditions (rules) that apply to the 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition. These rules and should be read carefully before submitting a proposal.

Overview

Registration for the competition will open Sept. 23, 2016 and will close Oct. 7, 2016. To register, visit http://www.Challenge.gov, search for the 2016 FDA Naloxone App Competition, and follow the instructions.  FDA strongly encourages entrants to register as teams, though individual registrations will be accepted. Throughout the competition, all interested parties will have online access to background information regarding the opioid epidemic and the public health recommendations for the safe and appropriate use of naloxone.

The competition will be conducted in two phases. Phase 1 will consist of a code-a-thon at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) campus in Silver Spring, Maryland, for registered entrants to develop concepts and initial prototypes for an app that alerts carriers of naloxone to a nearby opioid overdose. Entrants are encouraged, but not required, to participate in the code-a-thon. Entrants will receive an email confirming registration and participation in the code-a-thon, if applicable. The code-a-thon will occur on Oct. 19-20, 2016.  The code-a-thon event space is limited to the first 50 individuals who indicate interest in on-site participation during the registration process. There will be a virtual component to the code-a-thon for the first 100 individuals who indicate interest in remote participation during the registration process. At the code-a-thon, federal agency subject matter experts will provide background information to entrants on topics including, but not limited to the opioid epidemic, public health, and mobile medical applications and medical device development. All code developed through the code-a-thon will be made open-source and publicly accessible on the GitHub platform, a web-based code repository.

In Phase 2, all registered entrants will independently refine their concepts into a functional prototype, a video of which will be uploaded to YouTube (http://www.YouTube.com). The video URL will be submitted, accompanied by a short summary/description of the prototype as detailed below, on http://www.Challenge.gov by the submission deadline of Nov. 7, 2016.  Entrants will be permitted to submit questions before and during the code-a-thon to FDA, NIDA, and SAMHSA subject matter experts with backgrounds in opioids, drug use, public health, and mobile medical devices.  All entrants will have access to submitted questions and their answers, which will be publicly posted online.  Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of judges appointed by FDA based on the criteria set forth in these rules.

The winning submission will be awarded a prize of $40,000. The prize awarded under this competition will be paid by electronic funds transfer and may be subject to federal income taxes. FDA will comply with the Internal Revenue Service withholding and reporting requirements, where applicable.  The total prize pool for the FDA Naloxone App Competition will be $40,000.  FDA reserves the right to not award a prize if no submission is deemed worthy.  FDA also reserves the right to suspend, postpone, terminate, cancel, or otherwise modify the competition, or any entrant’s participation in the competition, at any time at the discretion of the agency.

During all phases of app development, all entrants should consider strategies to minimize legal risk and maximize regulatory compliance, including for the developer and the end-user. To ensure adequate consideration of potential liability, privacy and regulatory concerns, FDA strongly encourages all entrants to obtain independent legal counsel.

Entrants may not test or evaluate their app using real people, including opioid users and naloxone carriers, during the competition. Following the competition, entrants may consider seeking grant funding from the NIDA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, to further develop competition concepts through testing and evaluation.  As with all other National Institutes of Health funding applications, NIDA staff will provide dedicated assistance and guidance about the NIH grant submission process, including submissions for the NIDA SBIR grants. The SBIR grant program is open to all small businesses (which may include competition entrants) that meet applicable eligibility requirements set forth in the SBIR funding opportunity announcement. More information is available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-16-302.html. For competition entrants and projects that meet all applicable SBIR requirements, the NIDA SBIR program may provide the opportunity to further develop Competition concepts through field testing and evaluation.

Eligibility

As stated in the Federal Register Notice, to be eligible to win a prize under this competition, an individual or entity:

  1. Must have completed and submitted a registration form on http://www.Challenge.gov;
  2. Must create an account on Challenge.gov, and must have entered a submission on Challenge.gov, including a link to a YouTube video, under these rules promulgated by FDA;
  3. Must have complied with all the requirements under the Federal Register Notice and these rules;
  4. Must be (1) an individual or team of U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States each of whom are 18 years of age and over, or (2) an entity incorporated in and maintaining a primary place of business in the United States. Foreign citizens can participate as employees of an entity that is properly incorporated in the U.S. and maintains a primary place of business in the U.S.; and
  5. May not be a federal entity or federal employee acting within the scope of their employment. An individual or entity shall not be deemed ineligible because the individual or entity used federal facilities or consulted with federal employees during a competition if the facilities and employees are made available to all individuals and entities participating in the competition on an equitable basis.

Federal grantees may not use federal funds to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications unless consistent with the purpose of their grant award. Federal contractors may not use federal funds from a contract to develop COMPETES Act challenge applications or to fund efforts in support of a COMPETES Act challenge submission.

Employees of FDA, NIDA, SAMHSA, their affiliates, and/or any other individual or entity associated with the development, evaluation, or administration of the competition as well as members of such persons’ immediate families (spouses, children, siblings, parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate in the competition.

Entrants must agree to assume any and all risks and waive claims against the federal government and its related entities, except in the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their participation in a competition, whether the injury, death, damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.

Entrants must also agree to indemnify the federal government against third-party claims for damages arising from or related to competition activities. Entrants are not required to obtain liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility in order to participate in the competition.

By participating in the competition, each entrant agrees to comply with and abide by these rules and the decisions of FDA and/or the individual judges, which shall be final and binding in all respects.

By participating in the competition, each entrant agrees to follow all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Submission Requirements

Submissions must be received during the submission period, which begins on Sept. 23, 2016, and ends at 4:00 pm EST on Nov. 7, 2016. Each entrant must complete all of the required fields in the competition submission form in accordance with these rules. FDA reserves the right to disqualify any submission that FDA deems inappropriate.

Entrants may enter individually or as part of a team. Teams are strongly encouraged, and may be assembled from previously established firms or entities. Proposals may involve pre-existing technology or applications that an individual or team wish to redesign for the purposes of this competition. Individuals and/or team members must be clearly identified on the submission form in order to be eligible for the competition. Teams must designate a single individual as the primary contact and who will be authorized to bind the team or entity (“Lead”). The lead will be wholly responsible for the management and use of any prize monies awarded. In the event a dispute regarding the identity of the individual or team submitting the entry cannot be resolved to the satisfaction of FDA, the affected entry will be deemed ineligible.

All entry information and materials, including any copy of the submission, will be retained by FDA and will not be returned. Proof of submission is not considered proof of delivery to or receipt of such entry. Furthermore, FDA shall have no liability for any submission that is lost, intercepted, or not received by FDA. FDA further assumes no liability or responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, theft, destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, submissions.

Minimum requirements for the proposed app are:

  • Use of crowd-sourcing technology to identify one or more individuals in close proximity to the overdose who could administer naloxone;
  • Minimize the time required to identify one or more individuals in close proximity to the overdose that could deliver naloxone to an individual experiencing an opioid overdose; and
  • Compatibility with multiple platforms, including Android and iOS.

All written, digital, or recorded materials must be in English. Submissions are required to include a video of the functional app prototype and a supporting summary document.  The video must be uploaded to http://www.YouTube.com and be no more than five (5) minutes in duration. The video must demonstrate a functional prototype of the application, including any planned interfaces between the app and existing systems or datasets. The summary document must be submitted on http://www.Challenge.gov and not exceed three (3) pages. The summary document is required to include:

  1. A description of the entrant(s), including relevant fields of expertise;
  2. A summary of the concept for the app, including identification of the target audience;
  3. A general description of the proposed technical design, including an explanation of any planned interfaces between the app and existing systems or datasets; and
  4. The URL for the uploaded YouTube video.

Data Security Policy

Drug use and abuse are sensitive topics that require careful consideration of privacy and confidentiality issues. The submissions must not contain any data about real people, and entrants may not use data from or about actual people in development of the app.

Regulatory Policy

A mobile medical application intended to facilitate treatment of opioid overdose is considered to be a device under section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.  The winning app developed through this Competition, therefore, would be a device under FDA’s jurisdiction. However, as described in the 2015 FDA Guidance for Industry on Mobile Medical Applications (available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/MedicalDevices/…/UCM263366.pdf), FDA does not intend to enforce regulatory requirements under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for certain mobile medical apps.

Representations and Warranties/Indemnification

By participating in the competition, each entrant represents, warrants, and covenants as follows:

  1. The entrant – whether an individual, team or entity – is the sole author, creator, and owner of the submission;
  2. The submission is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim;
  3. The submission does not and will not violate or infringe upon the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any third party;
  4. The submission does not and will not contain any harmful computer code (sometimes referred to as “malware,” “viruses” or “worms”); and
  5. The Submission, and entrants’ use of the Submission, does not and will not violate any applicable laws or regulations, including, without limitation, applicable export control laws and regulations of the U.S. and other jurisdictions.

If the Submission includes any third party works (such as third party content or open source code), entrant must be able to provide, upon the request of FDA, documentation of all appropriate licenses and releases for such third party works. If entrant cannot provide documentation of all required licenses and releases, FDA reserves the right to disqualify the applicable Submission, or seek to secure the licenses and releases for the benefit of FDA, and allow the applicable Submission to remain in the Competition. FDA also reserves all rights with respect to claims based on any damages caused by participant’s failure to obtain such licenses and releases.

Entrants – whether an individual, a team or an entity – will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FDA, NIDA and SAMHSA, from and against all third party claims, actions, or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to or arising from entrant’s Submission or any breach or alleged breach of any of the representations, warranties, and covenants of entrant hereunder.

FDA reserves the right to disqualify any Submission that FDA, in its discretion, deems to violate these Rules.

Intellectual Property and Copyright License  

To receive the prize, entrants will not be required to transfer their intellectual property rights to FDA. Each entrant retains any applicable intellectual property rights not expressly granted under this Agreement. By participating in the Competition, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants to FDA, and any third-parties acting on FDA’s behalf an irrevocable, paid up, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license and right to reproduce, publicly perform, publicly display, and use the entrant’s submission for government purposes, and to publicly perform and publicly display the entrant’s submission video, including, without limitation, for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Competition.

Additionally, each participant at the code-a-thon will be required to provide FDA with an open source version of the code written by the participant at the code-a-thon to be posted on the GitHub source code repository and made publicly available under the Creative Commons license, CCO 1.0 Universal (CCO 1.0, Public Doman Dedication). For a summary and full text of the CCO 1.0 Universal license, see https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/. The GitHub source code repository is accessible at https://github.com.

Publicity Release

By participating in the Competition, each entrant hereby irrevocably grants to FDA the right to use such entrant’s name, likeness, image, and biographical information in any and all media for advertising and promotional purposes relating to the Competition, as stated in these Rules.

Disqualification

FDA reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Competition or Competition website or other Competition-related websites, to be acting in violation of these Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition, or to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person. FDA reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Selection Criteria

A panel of judges with experience in the fields of mobile medical application development, public health, and/or regulatory science chosen by FDA will select the highest-performing entrant from the pool of eligible submissions. The judging will be fair and impartial, and based upon the following evaluation criteria, with equal weighting:

  • Innovation: Uniqueness and innovation in use of software and data analytics to fulfill the mandatory requirements; variety and value of additional features (weight 25 percent).
  • Usability: Use of design elements to increase utilization among both people at risk of opioid overdose and naloxone carriers; ease of navigation; appropriate use of an interface to support the app in achieving desired outcome (weight 25 percent).
  • Functionality: Potential to enhance the frequency and speed of naloxone administration by the carriers to the overdose victims (weight 25 percent).
  • Adaptability: Potential for app to be tailored to the practical environment (e.g., urban, rural) of an individual community (weight 25 percent).

The evaluation criteria are to be applied in the sole discretion of the individual judges and are subject to modification by FDA. By participating in the competition, each entrant into the Competition agrees to be bound by and not challenge the final decisions of FDA and the judges.

When notification of the winner is completed, or as soon as is practical thereafter, the videos of the highest performing submissions will be posted on the competition website for public viewing. The judging scores will not be posted.

Attempts to notify the winning entrant will be made using the contact information provided on the competition registration form. FDA is not responsible for e-mail or other communication problems of any kind. If, despite reasonable efforts, an entrant does not respond within three (3) days of the first notification attempt regarding selection as winner of the Competition, or if the notification is returned as undeliverable to such entrant, that entrant may forfeit his, her or its status and an alternate winner may be selected, or the applicable prize may go unawarded.

If any potential prize winner is found to be ineligible, or has not complied with these rules, or declines the applicable prize for any reason prior to award, such potential prize winner will be disqualified and an alternate winner may be selected, or the applicable prize may go unawarded.

General Liability Release

By participating in the competition, each entrant hereby agrees that:

  1. FDA shall not be responsible or liable for any losses, damages, or injuries of any kind (including death) resulting from participation in the competition or any competition-related activity, or from entrants’ acceptance, receipt, possession, use, or misuse of any prize; and
  2. Entrants will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless FDA, NIDA, and SAMHSA from and against all third party claims, actions, or proceedings of any kind and from any and all damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses relating to or arising from entrant’s participation in the competition.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, FDA is not responsible for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, postage-due, damaged, or stolen entries or prize notifications; or for lost, interrupted, inaccessible, or unavailable networks, servers, satellites, Internet Service Providers, websites, or other connections; or for miscommunications, failed, jumbled, scrambled, delayed, or misdirected computer, telephone, cable transmissions or other communications; or for any technical malfunctions, failures, difficulties, or other errors of any kind or nature; or for the incorrect or inaccurate capture of information, or the failure to capture any information.

These rules cannot be modified except by FDA. All decisions by FDA regarding adherence to these rules are final. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

Exercise

The failure of FDA to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these rules shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

Governing Law

All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation, and enforceability of these Rules shall be governed by and construed in accordance with U.S. federal law as applied in the federal courts of the District of Columbia if a complaint is filed by any party against FDA.

Privacy Policy

By participating in the 2016 FDA Naloxone Competition, entrants hereby agree to collection and usage of their personal information by FDA, and acknowledge that they have read and accepted the privacy policy at http://www.Challenge.gov (available at https://www.challenge.gov/privacy-policy/).

Winner List/Contact Information

To obtain a list of finalists and winner after the conclusion of the Competition or a copy of these Rules, send a self-addressed envelope with the proper postage affixed to:

FDA Office of Public Health Strategy and Analysis

c/o Marisa Cruz
10903 New Hampshire Avenue
Bldg 32, Rm 4220
White Oak, MD 20993

Please specify “Winner List” or “Official Rules” and the name of the Competition in your request.

Please contact us at NaloxoneApp@fda.hhs.gov should you have any comments or questions about these Rules.

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