If this is not your name, click here.
| | If this is not your name, click here. | | |
| | Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague | | |
| |  New Toll-Free Line Provides Treatment Information On Alcoholism WILMINGTON, Del., June 4, 1996 -- The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company announced today the initiation of a toll-free REVIA(R) information hotline, 1-800-48-REVIA. The hotline will provide callers with information on alcoholism treatment programs and physicians in their area specializing in diagnosis and treatment of this disease. REVIA (naltrexone hydrochloride tablets)* is an opioid antagonist indicated in the treatment of alcohol or opioid dependence as part of a treatment program. "Alcoholism is a disease that affects about 15.3 million adult Americans a year," stated Kurt M. Landgraf, President and Chief Executive Officer of DuPont Merck. "This hotline was created to provide these individuals with information about a medication which is available to help them combat the disease. We have a database of doctors throughout the U.S. who treat alcohol dependence and other alcohol-related problems." Alcohol abuse and alcoholism have an estimated overall economic cost of $85.8 billion dollars and are involved in contributing to half of all traffic related fatalities, almost one third of all suicides and 40,000 annual deaths due to medical consequences. REVIA (naltrexone hydrochloride tablets)* is not right for everyone, however. People who are currently using narcotics or have liver problems should not take REVIA. Most people tolerate REVIA well. The most frequent side effects are difficulty sleeping, nervousness, abdominal pains, nausea and/or vomiting, low energy, joint and muscle pain, or headache. The decision to use REVIA should be made by the patient and his/her physician together. The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company is a worldwide, research-based pharmaceutical company. Formed in 1991 as partnership between DuPont and Merck & Co., Inc., DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company is focused on research, development and delivery of pharmaceuticals to treat unmet medical needs in the fight against heart disease, cancer and AIDS. The company is also a leader in radiopharmaceuticals. DuPont Merck markets products under the DuPont Pharma name. FACT SHEET REVIA (naltrexone HCl tablets) FOR ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE WHAT IS REVIA? REVIA* is an opioid antagonist indicated in the treatment of alcohol dependence as part of a comprehensive treatment program and for the blockade of the effects of externally administered opioids. EFFICACY In a combined analysis of studies conducted at the University of Pennsylvania and Yale medical schools, treatment with naltrexone supported abstinence, prevented relapse and decreased alcohol consumption. Decreased craving for alcohol was also reported. Patients who drank during the studies reported having fewer drinks and drinking less frequently. REVIA should be used with comprehensive treatment programs for alcohol dependence. SAFETY PROFILE It is non-habit forming and is not a drug of abuse. REVIA is well tolerated with the most common side effect being nausea, reported in approximately 10 percent of patients. Adverse reactions reported in 10 percent of patients or greater include difficulty sleeping, anxiety, nervousness, abdominal pain/cramps, nausea/vomiting, low energy, joint and muscle pain, and headache. REVIA (naltrexone hydrochloride tablets) has the capacity to cause liver toxicity at doses higher than the recommended dose. REVIA should not be used in patients with active hepatitis or liver disease. REVIA must not be administered to patients who have not been free of opioids for the last 7 to 10 days. DOSING A dose of 50 milligrams once daily is recommended for most patients treated for alcohol dependence. MARKETING CLEARANCE REVIA received marketing clearance in December, 1994 by the Food and Drug Administration as an adjunctive treatment for alcohol dependence. Naltrexone HCl has been marketed by DuPont Merck, under the DuPont Pharma banner, since 1984 as an adjunct for the treatment of narcotic dependence. REVIA is also available in a 28 Daypak(TM), a blister pack of film-coated, easy to swallow, capsule-shaped tablets. For patient information or to learn more about REVIA (naltrexone HCl tablets), call 1-800-487-3842. ALCOHOLISM FACTS -- Alcohol abuse and dependence affect about 15.3 million adult Americans. -- Approximately 38 percent of adult Americans have experience of alcoholism or alcohol abuse in their families. -- Alcoholism results from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental influences. -- Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is a disease characterized by abnormal alcohol-seeking behavior and impaired control over drinking. Another term, alcohol abuse, is a pattern of problem drinking short of dependence, that creates health, economic, social or other problems for the drinker. -- Research suggests that certain brain neurotransmitter systems are involved in alcohol-seeking behavior and impaired control over drinking. -- Alcohol interacts with the endogenous opioid system. Some patients at risk of developing alcoholism may be deficient in beta endorphins, opioids that have analgesic or behavioral effects. Ingesting alcohol seems to produce enhanced beta-endorphin response in these patients and may contribute to increased alcohol consumption and eventual loss of control over drinking. Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Cost Lives -- Approximately 5 percent of all T.J.S. deaths can be attributed in some way to alcohol. -- Persons with alcoholism are prone to health problems, including neurological disorders, liver and pancreas diseases, and cardiovascular disease. -- Approximately one-half of all automobile fatalities in 1989 involved alcohol. Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Cost Dollars -- The cost of alcoholism and alcohol abuse was estimated at $98.6 billion in 1990. -- Approximately 70 percent of the total is attributed to losses in earnings and productivity due to alcohol-related illness and early death. Alcohol Abuse and Dependence Hurts Families -- About 43% of adults in the U.S. have been exposed to alcoholism in the family, whether they grew up with, were related to, or were married to someone who was ever a problem drinker or an -- Approximately 6.6 million children under the age of 18 live with at least one alcoholic parent. -- Alcohol is typically found in a high percentage of incidents of domestic violence. -- Non-alcoholic members of families of alcoholics take ten times as many days for sick leave as members of families in which no alcoholism is present. Treatment Options -- Comprehensive rehabilitative services are the traditional treatments for alcoholism. -- Two medications are marketed in the U.S. to treat alcoholism. One is an aversive therapy that causes patients taking it to become ill when they drink alcohol. The other is an opioid antagonist which blocks the opioid receptor sites in the brain that may be responsible for stimulating increased alcohol consumption. * See full prescribing information
|
