Issue Date: February 12, 2015
Issued by: Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Topic(s): Clinical – Medical
Status: Draft
Alcoholism: Developing Drugs for Treatment
The purpose of this guidance is to assist sponsors in the clinical development of drugs for the 20 treatment of alcoholism. There are many different terms, definitions, and diagnostic criteria that 21 have been used to describe this condition. However, in this guidance, we use the term 22 alcoholism to describe patients with alcohol use problems that would make them candidates for 23 treatment with medication. As the World Health Organization (WHO) notes,3 alcoholism is a 24 “term of long-standing use” and is “generally taken to refer to chronic continual drinking or 25 periodic consumption of alcohol which is characterized by impaired control over drinking, 26 frequent episodes of intoxication, and preoccupation with alcohol and the use of alcohol despite 27 adverse consequences.”
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