QUT Leads world-first new treatment for alcohol addiction 

Alcohol addiction causes almost 3.8 per cent of deaths worldwide but a study led by QUT researchers offers new hope in the form of a drug already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Neuroscientist Professor Selena Bartlett from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation said the drug, pindolol, is an inexpensive approach for treating alcohol dependence once the human clinical trials are conducted.

“Drugs currently used for AUDs (alcohol use disorders) – acamprosate, naltrexone and disulfiram – have limited success – so this is a ground-breaking development with enormous potential,” said Professor Bartlett who is based at the Translational Research Institute.

“In an internationally-significant breakthrough, our study showed pindolol was able to reduce ethanol/alcohol consumption, particularly in relation to binge drinking, a key behaviour observed in human alcohol dependence.”

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