Drug ketamine will be available to alcoholics as part of a therapy program research project.
The trial was led by the University of Exeter and has a funding of 2.4 million pounds. Moreover, it will proceed to seven NHS sites across the UK.
The trial will study whether a ketamine and therapy combination can help alcoholics remain sober for longer.
Academic behind the research, Prof Celia Morgan said there is an urgent need to get new treatments. The research will proceed after a phase two trial will show that C13H16ClNO and therapy are safe, in addition, to tolerable for heavy drinkers.
Earlier Study Findings of Ketamine Therapy
An earlier study’s findings were that participants who had ketamine combined with therapy stayed sober. They represented 86% abstinence based on their six-month follow-up. KARL (Ketamine for Reduction of Alcohol Relapse) trial is now going to move to the next level of drug development. The aim behind it will be to roll out into the NHS if deemed effective.
Professor Morgan said,
More than two million UK adults have serious alcohol problems, yet only one in five of those get treatment.
Three out of four people who quit alcohol will be back drinking heavily after a year.
She also said that alcohol-related harm has an estimated cost of 3.5 billion pounds every year and 40 billion pounds in the wider UK society.
Alcohol problems affect not only the individual but families, friends and communities, and related deaths have increased still further since the pandemic
She further added
We urgently need new treatments.
The University of Exeter is leading the trail, which will recruit 280 people who suffer from alcoholism. Moreover, they will be split into two groups at random. Half of them will get the same ketamine dose as the first clinical trial in addition to psychological therapy.
Moreover, the other half will get a very low dose of ketamine. They will also get a seven-session education package about the harmful effects of alcohol. Other than that, the researchers will also see whether ketamine and therapy together will reduce injurious drinking.
