To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Pregabalin as Efficacious as Naltrexone in Alcohol Dependence but Superior in Patients With Psychiatric Comorbidity: Presented at ECNP URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22A386.htm Doctor's Guide August 31, 2008
By Judith Moser, MD BARCELONA, Spain -- August 31, 2008 -- The benefits that patients with alcohol dependence can gain from the use of the antiepileptic pregabalin is similar to those provided by naltrexone, one of the approved drugs used in alcohol-relapse prevention. The results of the 16-week multicentre, randomised, double-blind trial were presented here at the 21st European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress (ECNP) by principal investigator Giovanni Martinotti, MD, PhD, Institute of Psychiatry and Psychology, Treatment Unit for Alcoholism and Multiple Drug Abuse, Catholic University, Rome, Italy. Pregabalin is used to treat conditions such as seizures or neuropathic pain. "This is the first study with pregabalin in this specific indication," explained Dr. Martinotti at a poster presentation on August 31. Fifty-nine alcohol-dependent patients were included into the trial after detoxification with benzodiazepines according to established protocols. They received either naltrexone 50 mg (n = 28) or pregabalin 150 to 450 mg (n = 31) in a randomised, double-blind fashion. Withdrawal symptoms were determined by the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol. The intensity of alcohol craving was evaluated by means of a 10-cm visual analogue scale and the Italian version of the Obsessive and Compulsive Drinking Scale. For the evaluation of the psychiatric symptomatology, Dr. Martinotti's team used the Symptom Check List 90 Revised (SCL-90 R). The investigators found no significant differences between the pregabalin and naltrexone treatment groups concerning the proportion of patients who completed the study (27 vs 21, respectively) and who remained alcohol-free for the entire study period (15 vs 11, respectively) as well as the number of patients who relapsed (11 vs 7, respectively). Furthermore, alcohol drinking indices and craving scores did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. According to the survival function, patients treated with pregabalin remained abstinent for a longer time compared with those treated receiving naltrexone (P < .05). Withdrawal scores were significantly reduced from baseline in both arms of the study. The SCL-90 R general index of "Positive Symptom Total" showed a significant reduction from baseline in the 2 groups (both P < .05). As Dr. Martinotti pointed out, the outcome with pregabalin was better in patients with a comorbid psychiatric disorder; the subscales for phobic anxiety, hostility, and psychoticism only showed reductions in the pregabalin group (P < .05 each). "Moreover, we observed a better influence of pregabalin on alcoholic patients who presented with a dual diagnosis, for example, anxiety and depression," Dr. Martinotti said. In this subset of patients, the proportion of those who stayed completely abstinent until the end of the study was significantly higher in the pregabalin arm compared with the naltrexone arm (50% vs 15%, respectively; P < .01). Additional placebo-controlled trials will be necessary to confirm these results, Dr. Martinotti added. The study did not receive industry funding. [Presentation title: Pregabalin vs Naltrexone in Alcohol Dependence: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison Trial. Abstract P6a009] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.