Australian study finds medications for alcohol use disorders underutilized

Researchers from The University of Western Australia have found medications used to treat alcohol use disorders are severely underutilized in Australia.

Ph.D. candidate Ebony Quintrell, from UWA’s School of Population and Global Health, was lead author of the study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Two medications, naltrexone and acamprosate, are available and publicly subsidized for the treatment of alcohol use disorders.

The study looked at the use of the two medications between January 2006 and December 2023 and the length of time individuals remained on treatment.

The study estimated only 2.9% of Australians with an alcohol use disorder were receiving either naltrexone or acamprosate.

Researchers also found only 5.1% of individuals remained on the medication for the minimum recommended three-month time period.

“We have some good medications to treat alcohol use disorders in Australia, but they are not being utilized,” Quintrell said.

“This means that many people with alcohol use disorders are left untreated, leading to prolonged challenges in managing their condition.

“Additionally, many people with alcohol use disorders aren’t aware that treatments such as these medications are available and can be accessed through their GP.”

The report concluded that even though rates of naltrexone dispensing had substantially increased, while acamprosate dispensing showed minimal changes, the use of alcohol pharmacotherapies remained low compared with the likely prevalence of alcohol use disorders.