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U.S. Study Backs Injectable Drug for Alcoholism

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A drug that helps alcoholics stop craving drink is effective as a monthly injection, reducing the chances of missed or skipped treatment when the same drug is given as a daily pill, a study said on Tuesday.

The injectable, time-released form of the drug naltrexone “was well tolerated and resulted in reductions in heavy drinking among treatment-seeking alcohol-dependent patients during six months of therapy,” according to the study published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.The study was paid for by Alkermes Inc., which recently filed for government approval to market the injection preparation, called Vivitrex. It would be the first treatment for alcohol dependence in a once-monthly injection if approved, the Cambridge, Massachusetts, company said.The study, noting that 4 percent of the U.S. adult population is alcohol dependent, said there can be problems getting patients to take oral formulations of naltrexone every day, and acceptance and use of the drug has been limited even though it shows promise.Researchers at the University of North Carolina said they reached their conclusions on the injectable formulation after a six-month test involving more than 600 alcoholics at 24 U.S. hospitals in 2002 and 2003.”The long-acting formulation has the potential to improve intervention strategies for alcohol dependence by providing a predictable pharmacological foundation for treatment,” the study said.(Source: Journal of the American Medical Association: Reuters Health: April 2005.)


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Posted On: 11 April, 2005
Modified On: 16 January, 2014

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