From June 15, the prescription of Baclocur is now authorized in France in the treatment of alcoholism, but only as a last resort.
- Baclocur officially becomes the only baclofen drug authorized for the treatment of alcoholism
- The ANSM nevertheless recommends the prescription of baclofen as a last resort
- 41,000 deaths are directly attributable to alcohol each year in France
Although he benefited a temporary recommendation for use (RTU), Baclocur officially becomes the only drug based on baclofen authorized in the treatment of alcoholism in France on June 15. A victory for dependent people and associations which have been fighting for several years to ensure that this muscle relaxant, whose virtues have also proven effective in alcohol withdrawal, is marketed for these purposes.
The last resort
However, the ANSM recommend the prescription of this drug”only after failure or impossibility of using other available drug treatments, in adult patients with alcohol dependence and high-risk alcohol consumption (>60 g/day for men or >40 g/day for women)”. The Baclocur “is used in addition to a psychosocial follow-up focused on therapeutic compliance and the reduction of alcohol consumption.”
For its part, the Ethypharm laboratory, which markets this drug, indicates to prescribers that Baclocur “is used in addition to a psychosocial follow-up focused on therapeutic compliance and the reduction of alcohol consumption.”
Samuel, 35, explains to franceinfo having attempted periods “abstinence with self-help groups, retreats in monasteries or withdrawal cures”, before finally succeeding in freeing himself from his addiction thanks to baclofen. “That [l’alcool] doesn’t make us hot or cold, it doesn’t call us any more than a bottle of soda or a bottle of waterhe explains. We don’t even think about it anymore! So it’s a step that is quite amazing for someone who has always known this thought, this mode of operation. There is a release that will allow things to be taken back into their own hands.”
The ravages of alcoholism
Each year in France, 41,000 deaths are attributable to alcohol (30,000 in men and 11,000 in women), as well as 16,000 deaths from cancer and 9,900 deaths from cardiovascular disease, according to Public health France.
Alcohol dependence has been recognized as a disease since 1978 by the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines it as from “mental and behavioral disorders” related to the frequent ingestion ofalcohol alcoholic. The WHO has identified two forms of alcoholism: acute alcoholism and chronic alcoholism. In both cases, alcohol dependence has a considerable impact on the quality of life of those who suffer from it and their loved ones.
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