FDA Approves Vivitrol for Opioid Dependence

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire

Mental Health & Chemical Dependency Services

On October 12, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Vivitrol, an extended-release formulation of naltrexone, as a treatment for opioid dependence following detoxification treatment. Administered as a monthly injection, the non-narcotic, non-addictive medication blocks opioid receptors in the brain. Vivitrol is manufactured by Alkermes, Inc.; in 2006, the FDA approved the Vivitrol injection as a treatment for alcohol dependence.

The FDA Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee had recommended that the FDA . . .