Enjoying a pint at your local, or an evening of drinking and dancing in a nightclub is seemingly as much a part of the fabric of British society as queuing or supporting the national football team, as it is in many countries throughout the world. But while the majority of people are able to consume alcohol in moderation, in a proportion of the population alcohol use can develop into alcoholism, or alcohol dependence.

Estimated to be worth just $86 million 2006, according to a new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor, the alcohol dependence pharmaceutical market is set to grow to $304 million by 2016, driven by the launch of two pipeline opioid antagonists and the continued uptake of Alkermes and Cephalon’s injectable opioid antagonist Vivitrol (naltrexone). However, for substantial long-term success in drug treatment for alcohol dependence, a shift in disease perception is required.

Alcoholism, a chronic, progressive and potentially fatal disease characterised by the frequent drinking of excessive amounts of alcohol and the inability to curb drinking, is the third leading cause of preventable death in the US (following smoking and obesity) and represents a major economic burden to society in terms of the healthcare costs of treating resultant illnesses, lost work days and social problems.

The present state of under-diagnosis and treatment of alcohol dependence and lack of innovation among drugs in development may be attributable to a limited acceptance of drug treatment for alcohol dependence in comparison to the wider social acceptance of other psychiatric medications.

It is also possible to speculate that the relatively low sales of alcohol dependence drug therapies results from a pervading view that the disorder is a behavioural problem, as opposed to a medication condition. This view is supported by the fact that psychosocial therapy continues to play a key role in the treatment of alcohol dependence.