New Drugs Join Alcohol-Abuse Arsenal A Look at Current Drugs to Treat Alcoholism

The three federally approved treatments for alcohol abuse, and one medication under consideration for approval:

ANTABUSE: A decades-old aversion therapy drug designed to discourage drinking by making users sick if they drink alcohol.

NALTREXONE: A generic medication that can block the brain chemicals that make addicts feel good after drinking or taking drugs like heroin. Approved as an alcohol-abuse treatment in 1994.

CAMPRAL: The U.S. trade name for a medication used for nearly two decades in Europe and other countries, where it is known as acamprosate. Campral, marketed in the United States by Forest Laboratories Inc., is designed to help recovering alcoholics stay abstinent by easing withdrawal symptoms and reversing drinking- induced brain chemistry imbalances.

VIVITREX: A reformulated, long-acting version of naltrexone administered by injection once a month in a doctor’s office to slowly release the drug. Vivitrex’s maker, Alkermes Inc., believes many alcoholics will find it easier to stick to the once-a-month regimen than naltrexone users’ daily pill-taking routine. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to respond by Friday to Alkermes’ request to market the drug.