Researchers develop dual drug therapy to treat alcohol use disorder

Researchers from UCSF have leveraged two new molecules to devise a dual-drug therapy for alcohol use disorder (AUD), without the side effects or complications associated with current treatment regimens. One of those molecules is currently in clinical oncology trials. Alcohol use disorder is really a process of maladapted learning and memory. Current pharmaceutical options for AUD attempt to change behaviour by making alcohol consumption an unpleasant experience and some require patients to abstain for several days before beginning treatment. Those trials involve different drugs, but the underlying principle is the same. One drug results in the desired effect in the brain, while its activity is blocked by a molecule that isn't able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Tackling addiction from this neurological perspective has potential for broad applications.