New alcohol addiction drug enters clinical trials

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by Change | 15 Dec 2008

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Nalmefene enters phase-three clinical trials and could soon be available from alcohol recovery centres.

A new drug which could help alcohol addiction clinics by controlling the desire to drink more is entering phase-three clinical trials.

Nalmefene, which is being developed by Lundbeck, aims to control the instinct to consume more with the aim of limiting intake.

More than 1,800 patients will receive the chemical as part of the new stage of studies, which if successful could add a new method of treatment to those deployed by alcohol rehab centres.

The chemical is an opioid receptor antagonist, which works by blocking the mental mechanism which leads to uncontrolled intake.

Anders Gersel Pedersen, executive vice president and head of drug development at Lundbeck, claims the drug holds a great deal of potential.

"Nalmefene offers a rare opportunity for us to provide a new and more effective treatment of alcohol dependence, which causes major harm to millions of people worldwide," he claims.

Previous studies suggest the treatment can reduce the average intake and the number of occasions on which a patient engages in alcohol abuse, where this is defined as consuming five units or more.

Earlier in the month, the Sentence Guidelines Council recommended judges should issue community orders with referrals to alcohol rehab centres in place of custodial sentences for addicts prosecuted for theft.

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