Transdermal Naltrexone for Opiate Addiction and Alcoholism

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) of 2008, 7.2 million Americans are in need of treatment for Substance-Related Disorders (SRDs), and a large proportion of those need treatment for opiate pain reliever, heroin, and alcohol addiction. Naltrexone (NTX), an opioid antagonist, is currently used in oral tablet form to help maintain opioid addicts in a drug-free state. NTX is also FDA-approved for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Substantial clinical evidence exists for the benefits of NTX treatment in smoking cessation, especially in women. Very intriguing clinical trial data has also been observed in amphetamine-dependent individuals, which is especially important as methamphetamine dependence has no FDA-approved treatment options. Treatment with NTX in the 90's produced variable success rates in addicts; however, current clinical NTX therapy is being optimized based on human pharmacogenetic data. A 30-day depot injection of the drug has be