Naltrexone: new preparation. Transient preventive efficacy on alcoholic relapse.

(1) Naltrexone is an opiate receptor antagonist licensed for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence after withdrawal. (2) The clinical file in this indication is limited to three placebo-controlled trials lasting three months. (3) The results show that naltrexone prevents the resumption of alcohol consumption during treatment, but a post-trial follow-up study showed that the preventive effect disappeared a few months after treatment cessation. (4) Naltrexone has not been compared with acamprosate, a better-assessed drug used in the same indication. (5) The safety profile of naltrexone is acceptable.