Emerging drugs in phase II and III clinical development for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.
Expert opinion on emerging drugs September 1, 2024 Sophie Köhne, Thomas Hillemacher, Alexander Glahn et al. 16 citations
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains a major global health problem with limited effective pharmacotherapy. This review covers approved drugs like disulfiram, naltrexone, nalmefene, and acamprosate, alongside compounds in phase II and III trials, including baclofen, sodium oxybate, doxazosin, varenicline, zonisamide, gabapentin, apremilast, ibudilast, ivermectin, tolcapone, mifepristone, suvorexant, ketamine, psilocybin, semaglutide, oxytocin, and cannabidiol. Most of these drugs lack sufficient evidence for efficacy, but several promising options are under investigation. Future research should target specific AUD phenotypes and subgroups, and explore combining pharmacotherapy with psychotherapy to enhance treatment outcomes. Practitioners are encouraged to use available medications to support existing therapeutic regimens.