ADVERTISEMENT
Low-Dose Ketamine Reduces Alcohol Use Disorder Relapse in Trial
A combination of a low dose of ketamine and psychological therapy was found to help patients with severe alcohol use disorder remain sober longer, according to findings from a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter in collaboration with Imperial College London and University College London in the United Kingdom.
The phase II trial was the first to look at whether augmenting therapy with a low dose of ketamine could prevent individuals from quickly returning to drinking. Findings from the study were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The study included 96 participants with alcohol problems who were abstinent at the time of the trial. Participants whose treatment included ketamine stayed completely sober 162 out of 180 days in the follow-up period, and were 2.5 times more likely to stay completely abstinent than those on a placebo in the trial.
Patients receiving ketamine were also found to have lower levels of depression after 3 months and better liver function, regardless of whether their treatment included therapy.
“This is extremely encouraging, as we normally see 3 out of every 4 people returning to heavy drinking within 6 months of quitting alcohol, so this result represents a great improvement,” University of Exeter Professor Celia Morgan, the study’s lead author, said in a news release.
Biotech firm Awakn Life Sciences has licensed the therapy from University of Exeter to use in its clinics and partnerships.
“We are so pleased to see such encouraging results in an area of treatment that has been stagnant for so long, leaving so many people with little or sub-par options available to them,” Awakn CEO Anthony Tennyson said in the release. “With ketamine being a licensed medicine, it means we can deliver this treatment now in our clinics and through partnerships, which is a radical shift in the alcohol addiction treatment industry.”
Reference
