It doesn’t get that much attention, but the methamphetamine epidemic in the U.S. is startlingly widespread and lethal. The number of overdose deaths involving meth increased 7.5 times from 2007 to 2017, according to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse. And, while there were 1.6 million users in 2017, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more current estimates peg the number at 3 million.
At the same time, effective treatment often relies on behavioral therapy programs that aren’t tailored to the needs of meth addicts, according to Kristin Muhlner, CEO and cofounder of addiction treatment startup Affect Therapeutics. There is no FDA-approved medical therapy for methamphetamine user disorder.
That’s why in 2020, Muhlner joined forces with Dr. Jeff De Flavio, a founder of opioid addiction treatment programs, among other ventures aimed at broadening access to healthcare, to launch Affect, a New York City startup with an app-based treatment program for meth addicts that combines reward systems—paying cash for achieving certain tasks—with group therapy.
Contingency Management
De Flavio got the idea as an entrepreneur in residence at AlleyCorp, a New York City incubator which he joined in 2019. He devoted much of his time looking for interventions that would make the most sense for meth addicts. The best approach needed to address a big problem: With a large population of addicts in rural regions, it was difficult for them to get to in-person facilities. At the same time, those in urban areas faced childcare and work obligations that also got in the way of attending sessions consistently. The answer: treatment delivered digitally, specifically through a mobile app.
Last year, he enlisted Muhlner to help launch and run the company. With a background in building and running digital businesses, she also had also previously lost a close friend to a drug overdose. With $1 million in seed funding from AlleyCorp, they founded Affect last June.