Alcohol dependence is a chronic disease that accounts for approximately 100,000 deaths per year in the United States. Alcoholism costs the United States $185 billion in direct and indirect social costs per year, with more than 70% of the cost attributed to lost productivity. To date, medical treatment options for alcoholism have been limited to Antabuse (disulfiram) and ReVia (naltrexone).

Campral® (acamprosate calcium) Delayed-Release Tablets, the first new medication for the treatment of alcohol dependence in nine years, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 29, 2004.

Campral is indicated for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation. Treatment with Campral should be part of a comprehensive management program that includes psychosocial support. In clinical settings and clinical practice, Campral has been proven to help alcohol-dependent patients maintain abstinence and reduce the incidence and severity of relapse.

Campral differs from other currently available products for maintaining abstinence. Antabuse induces vomiting and other aversive effects when alcohol is absorbed. ReVia is a competitive opioid receptor binder that reduces the pleasure of drinking. Campral is the first medication to impact the biological processes of the disease. Campral alleviates the physiological and psychological distress during the post-acute withdrawal period, making it easier not to drink.

The mechanism of action of Campral in maintenance of alcohol abstinence is not completely understood. Originally, several neurotransmitter systems, including GABA, were investigated for a possible role in Campral's mechanism of action. However, recent evidence suggests Campral's main interaction is with the glutamate system. Chronic alcohol exposure is hypothesized to alter the normal balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. A glutamate receptor modulator, Campral is believed to act on the biochemical systems that are involved in alcohol dependence. Campral interacts with neurotransmitter systems and is hypothesized to restore the normal balance.