Remedy on alcohol dependence on prescription

Alcoholism: remedy for dependence on prescription

02/24/2014

Last Thursday, the Federal Joint Committee in Berlin adopted a decision on the prescription of medicines for alcohol dependence. In the future, corresponding medications should be prescriptive under certain conditions and for a limited period of time.

Medicines for reducing alcohol consumption
The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) adopted last Thursday in Berlin a decision on the prescription of medicines for alcohol dependence. In the future, corresponding drugs for alcoholics should, under certain conditions and for a limited period at the expense of statutory health insurance (SHI) be prescriptive. Thus, alcoholic patients who are to be guided to abstinence therapy may temporarily receive treatment for their dependence, which are approved for the reduction of alcohol consumption. The patient representative in the G-BA has the decision. The G-BA, the supreme decision-making body of the joint self-administration of physicians, dentists, psychotherapists, hospitals and health insurance companies in Germany., Determines in the form of guidelines the catalog of benefits of the GKV for more than 70 million insured persons and thus determines which benefits of medical care be reimbursed by the GKV.

The goal remains complete abstinence
Josef Hecken, impartial chairman of the G-BA and chairman of the responsible subcommittee, said: „The overall goal of the treatment of alcohol dependence remains complete abstinence. This has proven itself in medical rehabilitation and in the field of self-help. However, there may be cases in which a therapy place is not directly available. In order to find a regulation that is as close to the supply as possible for the affected people, the G-BA decided today with its decision on the possibility of exceptionally prescribing a drug at the statutory health insurance in these cases, which initially serves to reduce the amount of drinking water.“

Help sufferers drink less alcohol
The Chairman of the G-BA continues: „Accordingly, such drugs will be prescriptive in the future for patients who are ready for abstinence but have not yet found a therapeutic place. A drug therapy should help those affected to drink less alcohol and thus move to abstinence therapy.“ Corresponding medicines could be prescribed in the cases mentioned up to three months at the expense of the statutory health insurance companies. The regulation may also be extended for a maximum of three months, subject to justified exceptions. The initiation of drug therapy must be by physicians who have proven experience in the treatment of alcohol dependence. The resolution is submitted to the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) for examination and, unless it is objected to, enters into force after publication in the Federal Gazette.

1.8 million Germans dependent on alcohol
The number of alcoholics in Germany has increased dramatically in recent years. Almost 1.8 million Germans today are dependent on alcohol, according to the latest results „Epidemiological addiction surveys“, which was commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Health by the Institute for Therapy Research in Munich. The study of the institute shows not only a significant increase in alcohol dependence in general, but also a particularly worrying development among young adults under the age of 25 years. In addition, 1.6 million adults would drink a lot, but are not considered dependent on the official criteria, the news agency reported „dpa“ citing the numbers of the survey. In total, 7.4 million Germans would consume more alcohol than the recommended maximum daily amount. (Sb)