New pharmacotherapies for treating the neurobiology of alcohol and drug addiction.
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: 14 I n the past decade, scientists have made important progress toward understanding the neurobiology underlying drug and alcohol addiction. This knowledge has led to the development of promising phamacotherapies that target the neural pathways involved in the brain’s reward center in such a way that the usual treatment response (via counseling) is substantially improved upon. Today there are some FDAapproved options, for example, for treating cigarette smoking as well as alcohol disorders—with a number of medications under development by NIH or by pharmaceutical companies for treating these addictions. The current and well-known FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation are nicotine patches, available over the counter, and bupropion (Zyban) tablets, available by prescription. With respect to treating alcohol disorders, as of April 2006, there are four FDA-approved pharmacotherapies for the treatment of alcohol dependence. They are listed here in order of FDA-approval dates: disulfiram (Antabuse), oral naltrexone (Revia), acamprosate (Campral), and, most recently, an extendedrelease (30-day) injectable suspension formulation of naltrexone (Vivitrol). Vivitrol, just recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of alcohol dependence on April 13, 2006, provides clinicians with an innovative way to treat patients with an alcohol disorder. Vivitrol is a once-a-month injection of naltrexone, an opiate antagonist, where one injection provides therapeutic naltrexone plasma concentrations for approximately 30 days. The oral tablet form of naltrexone, approved by the FDA for treating alcohol dependence, has been available for over 10 years (more details are given below), but its daily dosing typically has required high levels of clinician vigilance to ensure that patients don’t skip doses or stop taking the medication altogether. That is, taking pills everyday is particularly difficult for this patient population and can ultimately compromise the chances of a good treatment response for a formidable number of patients. Monthly injections relieve patients of the daily decision to take their medicine. This new technology for treating an alcohol disorder also allows clinicians to better determine if their patients are benefiting from naltrexone, because they are assured [ b r i e f r e p o r t ]
Source: PubMed Central
Authors: Helen M Pettinati, Amanda R Rabinowitz
Institution: University of Pennsylvania
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W24465237