NALTREXONE TRIAL HOPE FOR ADDICTS

Preliminary data from Sydney Hospital's naltrexone trial has revealed
"encouraging results", with 50 per cent of heroin addicts off the drug
after three months.

The Minister for Health, Dr Refshauge, told State Parliament yesterday that
a further 40 per cent of methadone users in the trial abstained from the
drug after naltrexone treatment.

"While there is no miracle cure for drug addiction, these results are
encouraging and compare favourably with other drug treatments," he said.

The results from the 31 Sydney Hospital patients will be compared with
yet-to-be-released data from a Westmead Hospital trial of 90 heroin and
methadone users before the Government proceeds with a randomised clinical
trial at Westmead.

Naltrexone, a rapid opiate detoxification drug, was administered under
sedation at Sydney Hospital and under anaesthetic at Westmead.

Of 15 people on methadone programs, six stopped using the drug after a month.

Five of the 16 heroin users in the trial traded heroin for methadone after
three months, two remain on a naltrexone maintenance program, and one is
"entirely free of heroin", Dr Refshauge said.

The Opposition spokeswoman on health, Mrs Jillian Skinner, said the
Coalition had forced the Government to initiate the trials and Dr
Refshauge's "sanctimonious claims" were hypocritical.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan