Pubdate: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 Source: Advertiser, The (Australia) Contact: http://www.advertiser.com.au/ 'MIRACLE' DRUG TRIAL THE controversial eight-hour heroin cure using the miracle drug Naltrexone is being scientifically tested in Adelaide. The effectiveness of the rapid opiate detoxification technique performed under anaesthetic will be compared with the standard detoxification treatment, which spans a few days. Forty volunteers have already been subjected to detoxification in the three-year research project. And the researchers hope to recruit 100 more heroin-dependent adult volunteers. The trial co-ordinator, Dr Jason White, of the University of Adelaide's Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, said yesterday volunteers would receive either rapid detoxification under anaesthetic or the standard treatment. After the rapid technique was pioneered in Israel two years ago, it was claimed to be "a 24-hour miracle cure" for heroin addiction. Dr White said all volunteers would receive nine months' follow-up treatment with free Naltrexone and their progress would be monitored over 12 months. The study would help decide whether the rapid technique improved the outcome of Naltrexone treatment. Naltrexone is an anti-opiate drug which blocks the cravings experienced by addicts by displacing heroin from receptors in the brain. The drug can now be prescribed by GPs to treat alcohol addiction and prevent heroin users who have undergone detoxification from relapsing to heroin use. "However its use in rapid detoxification is not one of the approved applications and is still experimental," Dr White said. "Previous research and early results from the SA trial show Naltrexone is beneficial for some people." Of the 40 people who had already undergone detoxification, most had been successful in establishing a daily pattern of Naltrexone use, he said. "While some have used Naltrexone for days or weeks only, others have continued for several months. "Some who have dropped out of the trial have remained abstinent from heroin while others have relapsed." The outcome of the study would play an important role in guiding future use of the drug to help heroin users kick the habit, Dr White said. The university, Drug and Alcohol Services Council and Royal Adelaide Hospital have been awarded a $500,000 State Government grant to conduct the study. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake