Acamprosate

Alcohol use disorder is responsible for a large worldwide burden of morbidity, premature mortality, and economic consequences resulting from accidents, violence, incarceration, decreased productivity, and increased healthcare spending.

Acamprosate, also known by the brand name Campral, is a drug used for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence. It is a structural analogue of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Acamprosate is the first medication specifically formulated for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence in ethanol-dependent patients after alcohol detoxification, unlike naltrexone and disulfiram. It was first approved by the FDA in 2004 and initially marketed by Forest Laboratories.

Acamprosate is indicated for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation. It is also indicated for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence in patients who have undergone alcohol detoxification. This drug should be used with a psychosocial support program providing adequate support.