Study Identifies Cost-Effective Combined Therapies for Alcohol Dependency
Posted: 10-07-2008 : RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. -– Two therapies that combine pharmacotherapies and behavioral interventions are cost-effective, viable options for treating alcohol-dependent patients, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International.

The study, published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first to look at the cost-effectiveness of combined alcohol dependency treatments.

"A cost-effective analysis enables policy makers to assess the costs of achieving greater clinical effectiveness," said Gary Zarkin, Ph.D., vice president of the Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice Research Division at RTI and the paper’s lead author. "But ultimately the choice of the optimal intervention depends on the value placed on the outcomes by the decision maker."

The researchers found that medical management combined with naltrexone, or combined with naltrexone-acamprosate, two common anti-dependency drugs, were both cost-effective options for clinics to use to treat alcohol dependency.

Researchers found that medical management plus naltrexone therapy costs about $671 per patient, and medical management plus combined naltrexone and acamprosate therapy costs about $1,000 per patient.

"For many situations, medical management combined with naltrexone is the most cost-effective therapy, however, if policy makers wish to spend more on alcohol treatment then medical management combined with naltrexone and acomprosate may be a cost-effective choice," Zarkin said.

The study estimated the cost-effectiveness of the therapies in COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions Study), which found that medical management combined with either naltrexone or specialized alcohol counseling produced the best outcomes after 16 weeks of active treatment and one year later. Clinical results for COMBINE were published in the May, 2006 issue of JAMA.

Alcohol abuse is the third leading preventable cause of death, and in 1998, according to a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the estimated societal cost of alcohol abuse in the United States was $184 billion.

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About RTI International
RTI International is one of the worlds leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,600 provides research and technical services to governments and businesses worldwide in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy, and the environment. RTI also employs about 1,200 term employees who support projects in more than 40 countries. For more information, visit www.rti.org.