Alcohol Dependence News and Research

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FDA approves Vivitrol for treatment of opioid-dependent patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vivitrol to treat and prevent relapse after patients with opioid dependence have undergone detoxification treatment.

13 Oct 2010

Mobile outreach program by sex workers provides key link to health, support services

A mobile outreach program staffed by current and former sex workers is associated with increased entry to detoxification and residential drug treatment among women in street-based sex work, according to an evaluation led by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) and the University of British Columbia (UBC).

12 Oct 2010

EU called upon to tackle problem of chronic non-communicable diseases

Members of the European Parliament are calling on the Presidency of the EU and Member States to tackle urgently the problem of chronic non-communicable diseases that are responsible for 86% of all deaths in the WHO European Region. Their call is supported by an alliance of European health professionals, including ECCO - the European CanCer Organisation - and ESMO - the European Society for Medical Oncology.

5 Oct 2010

Scientists find high levels of stress hormone in chronic alcoholics

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that high levels of a stress hormone in recovering alcoholics could increase the risk of relapse.The study showed that cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress, is found in high levels in chronic alcoholics, as well as those recovering from the condition.

24 Sep 2010

FDA Advisory Committee recommends approval of Alkermes' VIVITROL for opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 12 to 1 that VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) should be approved for the treatment of opioid dependence.

17 Sep 2010

Study raises questions about effectiveness of campaigns projected to improve health literacy

A joint study by Indiana University and Columbia University researchers found no change in prejudice and discrimination toward people with serious mental illness or substance abuse problems despite a greater embrace by the public of neurobiological explanations for these illnesses.

15 Sep 2010

BC-CfE study finds links between insite use, addiction treatment and stopping injection drug use

A study led by researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) at St. Paul's Hospital and the University of British Columbia has found that supervised injection facilities such as Vancouver's Insite connect clients with addiction treatment, which in turn resulted in greater likelihood of stopping injection drug use for at least six months.

14 Sep 2010

Researchers present study results of psychosocial trauma experienced at 2006 Dawson College shooting

A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and Fernand-Seguin Research Centre of Louis-H. Lafontaine Hospital presented today the results of its three-year study, a world first, into the 2006 Dawson College shooting to the Government of Quebec's Ministry of Public Security.

10 Sep 2010

GABRA2 gene influences brain’s reward responses to alcohol odors: Research

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome sequence is altered. Prior research suggested an association between SNPs in a gene that encodes aspects of the brain's gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA)-A receptors (the GABRA2 gene) and alcohol dependence. A study of responses to the aromas of alcoholic drinks according to subjects' genotyping at a SNP in GABRA2 has found that this genotype can affect the brain's reward responses to cues such as alcohol odors.

3 Sep 2010

Latest achievements in brain research and treatment for mental disorders

Mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety disorders, addiction and schizophrenia are the core challenge of most health care systems around the world. In the EU alone, each year 27% of the total adult population - this corresponds to 83 Million citizens - suffer from mental disorders. Depression alone affects almost 20 million ranking in the EU as the most disabling disorder of all diseases.

30 Aug 2010

23rd European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress to be held 28 Aug - 1 Sep 2010 in Amsterdam

26 Aug 2010

Education and screening of pregnant women recommended for prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Featured in the August edition of the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada is a new consensus clinical practice guideline which recommends that screening for alcohol consumption be done periodically for all pregnant women and women of child-bearing age.

13 Aug 2010

Australia ranks near top when it comes to alcohol abuse: Study

In a new study researchers have found that Australia ranks near the top when it comes to alcohol abuse. The study was conducted by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) and it found that one in five Australians has a drinking problem and four in five go untreated for these problems. Professor Maree Teesson and her team analyzed data collected from almost 9,000 Australians aged 16 to 85 years for the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing in 2007.

9 Aug 2010

Alkermes reports $42.3 million revenue for first-quarter fiscal 2011

Alkermes, Inc. today reported financial results for its first quarter of fiscal 2011, which ended on June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

People with alcohol-related problems find comfort in speaking to clergy: Study

Persons with alcohol problems are finding comfort in speaking about their situation to clergy, a new study shows. Among 1,910 people with any alcohol-related problems, 14.7 percent said they used clergy services.The study, from researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and Saint Louis University, also indicates the majority of those who used services from clergy also used professional services at some point; only 0.5 percent used clergy services exclusively for their alcohol use-related problem.

15 Jul 2010

Study to analyze individual differences in impulsivity among alchohol users

Previous studies have found that the personality trait impulsivity, or a lack of planning and forethought regarding behaviors, is associated with alcohol use and alcohol-use disorders. For most individuals, impulsivity decreases during emerging and young adulthood. Some, however, do not "mature out" of impulsivity.

30 Jun 2010

Alkermes receives tentative schedule notification for FDA advisory committee meeting on VIVITROL sNDA

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified the company of the tentative scheduling of a Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee meeting on September 16, 2010, for the review of the company's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for opioid dependence.

18 Jun 2010

Study: 10% increase in cigarette pricing can reduce smoking among people with alcohol, drug disorders

A new study from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA suggests that increasing cigarette taxes could be an effective way to reduce smoking among individuals with alcohol, drug or mental disorders.

4 Jun 2010

Combined alcohol dependency treatments reduce social costs of health care: Study

Combining medications and behavioral interventions for treating alcohol-dependent patients reduces social costs of health care, arrests and motor vehicle accidents, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University.

3 Jun 2010

Study finds largest declines in impulsivity and decreases in alcohol consumption among 18-to-25-year olds

Personality traits associated with impulsivity normally decrease during emerging and young adulthood, and these decreases are associated with reduced substance use. A new study of "trajectories" of impulsivity and their association with problem alcohol use has found that the 18-to-25-years-of-age group exhibited the largest declines in impulsivity as well as the sharpest decreases in alcohol consumption.

1 Jun 2010