Vivitrol Wins New Approval to Treat Addiction to Opioid Painkillers

FDA has approved Alkermes' Vivitrol (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Alkermes' Vivitrol (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification. Vivitrol is now the first and only non-narcotic, non-addictive, once-monthly medication approved for the treatment of opioid dependence. Vivitrol was approved by the FDA in 2006 for the treatment of alcohol dependence and should be used as part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support.

“Opioid dependence is a serious and chronic illness characterized by high rates of relapse,” stated Dr. Marc Fishman, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “Vivitrol is an opioid-blocking medication that offers patients and physicians a once-monthly medication to prevent relapse to opioid addiction.”

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