A pragmatic trial of acamprosate in the treatment of alcohol dependence in primary care.

To assess the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy with acamprosate in alcohol-dependent patients treated in a naturalistic setting in primary care in France. 422 patients were included. At the end of the study, patients randomized to the acamprosate group had significantly better outcomes in terms of total ARPQ score, change from baseline (–2.61 vs –3.44) and number of subjects with no alcohol-related problem. On average, patients treated with acamprosate had one less alcohol-related problem than did the controls. The number needed to treat in order to save one additional patient from alcohol-related problems compared to standard care was 7.14. Statistically significant differences in favour of the acamprosate group were observed for all secondary efficacy outcome measures including quality of life. Adjunctive therapy with acamprosate in primary care is associated with significantly better functional outcome. Pragmatic trials in alcohol dependence are both feasible and informative.Test de l'efficacité de l'acamprosate en tant que traitement d'apport et de soutien de l'abstinence alcoolique. les valeurs du critères principal (ARPQ) furent significativement inferieures dans le groupe traité. On estime le nombre necessaire à traiter à 7.14. Le traitement étudié est considéré augmenter l'efficience du suivi des patients tant en qualité de vie qu'en consequences sociales