FDA Appoves Drug To Treat Heroin, Morphine Addiction AHN: "Vivitrol, made by Massachusetts drug maker Alkermes, is a so-called extended-release formulation of the drug naltrexone that is injected once a month into the muscle, according to an FDA statement. The drug works to block opioid receptors in the brain.
Opioids include drugs such as morphine and heroin. Naltrexone was approved to treat alcohol dependence in 2006.
The FDA tested the safety of Vivitrol for six months. It was compared to placebo treatments in patients who had completed detoxification and who were no longer physically addicted to opioids.
The FDA stated that 36 percent of Vivitrol-treated patients were able to stay off opioids for the full six months, compared with 23 percent of the placebo group.
The drug can cause side effects, including nausea, tiredness, headaches, dizziness, vomiting, decreased appetite, joint pain and muscle cramps"
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