ACT TO FOLLOW UP NSW NALTREXONE STUDY

Naltrexone was not a miracle cure for drug addiction, but it would be a
shame to throw the baby out with the bath water, according to one author of
an Australian-first study out this week.

The Australian National University's Dr Gabriele Bammer said the 30-person
NSW Naltrexone trial was closely linked with a similar ACT trial, due to
begin on Monday.

Results of the NSW trial published in The Medical Journal of Australia this
week had debunked the popular myths about Naltrexone being a magic bullet,
but that fact was well known in the drug and alcohol field already.

"Like treatments for cancer and heart disease there aren't any miracle
cures," Dr Bammer said.

Naltrexone was one of many withdrawal and treatment drugs that could assist
in kicking a heroin or methadone habit.

The journal's editorial said, "Australia is in the midst of a large,
uncontrolled experiment using Naltrexone accelerated withdrawal", and that
more studies were desperately needed.

The highly publicised ultra-rapid detox methods, used in Israel and now in
private clinics here, were performed under anaesthetic. The NSW trial had
tested whether patients could be sedated, but conscious, during withdrawal.
Half the participants were dependent on methadone, half on heroin.

Three months after detoxification, one trial participant was dead from
overdose, two were off heroin and still using Naltrexone, four were on
Naltrexone, and occasionly using heroin, seven had returned to heroin use,
and 11 to methadone use.

The trial found that ultra rapid detox could be performed under sedation,
without too much distress to patients. This will be further tested in the
ACT trial.

Canberra Clinical School Associate Professor Nick Glasgow said withdrawal
using Naltrexone and sedatives would be cheaper than under anaesthetic, and
could be a useful alternative if government pulled away from funding
withdrawal programs.

Health Minister Michael Moore welcomed the research, saying Naltrexone was
one of a broad spectrum of withdrawal and treatment drugs, and that he
understood Buprenorphine was more promising. The hype around Naltrexone
meant that unrealistic expectations had been raised.

This was a "great shame because Naltrexone has a place as has a heroin trial
in treatment of the heroin addiction".