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Anti-alcoholism drug gets conditional approval

Date published: 29/12/2005

A new drug to treat alcoholism in adults has been granted conditional approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Alkermes' once a month treatment, called Viotrol, an injectable form of naltrexone, is administered monthly to help ward off a craving for alcohol.

Formally called Vivitrex, the drug must still meet several FDA conditions before full approval is given, including providing the agency additional preclinical data. "At launch, our focus is on those patients who are motivated to stop" drinking, Alkermes chief executive officer Richard Pops told Reuters in an interview earlier this month.

On Monday it was revealed that record numbers of adults and young people are being admitted to hospital for drink-related diseases in the UK. Official statistics obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions has increased by 28 per cent over the past eight years.

For adults the figure, which covers admissions for alcohol poisoning and liver disease, rose by 30 per cent, and for underage drinkers it was up by 15 per cent. Market analysts have said Vivitrex could reach sales of more than $500 million.

"We believe Vivitrex could become the gold standard for treatment of alcohol dependence, particularly for patients with compliance issues," Alkermes said.

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