Aims: To assess the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy with acamprosate in alcohol-dependent patients treated in a naturalistic setting in primary care in France.
Methods: The ARES (Acamprosate et Repercussions Economiques et Sociales; Acamprosate and Economic and Social Repercussions) study was performed by 149 general practitioners interested in treating alcohol use disorders in France who included patients fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence. The only exclusion criteria concerned contra-indications to acamprosate, co-medication with naltrexone and multiple substance abuse. Eligible patients were randomized to one of two treatment arms, either standard care alone or standard care with acamprosate, using an open-label design and followed up quarterly for a period of 1 year. The primary outcome variable was the change from baseline on the Alcohol-Related Problems Questionnaire. Secondary efficacy variables were abstinence, Clinical Global Impression, quality of life measured with the SF-36 and incidence of adverse events. An intent-to-treat population was used for outcome analysis.
Results: 422 patients were included, of whom 348 (82%) completed the protocol as planned. At the end of the study, patients randomized to the acamprosate group had significantly better outcomes in terms of total ARPQ score, change from baseline (-2.61 vs -3.44) and number of subjects with no alcohol-related problem. On average, patients treated with acamprosate had one less alcohol-related problem than did the controls. The number needed to treat in order to save one additional patient from alcohol-related problems compared to standard care was 7.14. Statistically significant differences in favour of the acamprosate group were observed for all secondary efficacy outcome measures including quality of life.
Conclusions: Adjunctive therapy with acamprosate in primary care is associated with significantly better functional outcome. Pragmatic trials in alcohol dependence are both feasible and informative.