Article: Doctors: No magic in alcoholism drug

Despite the media buzz over naltrexone -- the first new drug for alcoholism in 40 years -- many doctors who treat alcoholic patients in New England are greeting the news with wary optimism.

"My approach is going to be a wait and see attitude," said Dr. Louis Sanchez, medical director of the addictions division at Cambridge Hospital. "The more options we have the better, but where this one fits into the spectrum of treatment is not clear."

In two preliminary studies, at Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania, naltrexone reduced by half the relapse rates of alcoholics enrolled for 12 weeks in outpatient programs, compared to patients in the same programs who received a placebo, or ...

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