Naltrexone in combination with acamprosate for the treatment of alcohol dependence: a review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness

Ndegwa S, Cunningham J
Record ID 32011001246
English
Authors' recommendations: Overall, the available evidence indicates that combination therapy with naltrexone and acamprosate for alcohol dependence is well tolerated. Minor adverse were observed to occur more frequently with combination therapy relative to monotherapy. However, the evidence to support the clinical effectiveness is inconsistent. One RCT showed that combination therapy was significantly better than acamprosate alone, but not naltrexone alone, for the prevention of relapse into heavy drinking and the maintenance of abstinence. However, results from COMBINE demonstrated that combining naltrexone and acamprosate with or without CBI was not more clinically effective than either drug, CBI alone, or placebo in the presence of MM. It is not yet known whether long-term combination therapy with naltrexone and acamprosate with or without other behavioral interventions may be beneficial to patients relative to monotherapy. Furthermore, optimal dosing and sequencing of combination therapy remain to be established. There is a lack of information to support the cost-effectiveness of combination therapy with naltrexone and acamprosate in a Canadian setting.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2009
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: Canada
MeSH Terms
  • Alcohol Deterrents
  • Alcohol Drinking
  • Naltrexone
Contact
Organisation Name: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health
Contact Address: 600-865 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8 Canada. Tel: +1 613 226 2553; Fax: +1 613 226 5392;
Contact Name: requests@cadth.ca
Contact Email: requests@cadth.ca
Copyright: Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH)
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.