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Ibudilast Fails in Alcohol Use Disorder Trial, Curbs Drinking Among Women

Published in JAMA Network Open, the study underscores neuroimmune challenges in alcohol disorder treatment, highlighting the importance of sex-stratified, longer-term studies.

Women who took ibudilast, however, drank fewer drinks per drinking day. Credit: Neuroscience News

Overview

  • The phase II randomized trial enrolled 102 adults with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder, assigning them to twice-daily ibudilast or placebo over a 12-week treatment and four-week follow-up.
  • Ibudilast did not outperform placebo in reducing overall drinking levels, as both groups saw average drinks per drinking day drop from about seven to three or four.
  • Female participants taking ibudilast achieved a statistically significant reduction in drinks per drinking day compared to those on placebo.
  • Participants presenting elevated depressive symptoms at baseline fared worse on ibudilast than on placebo, indicating psychiatric comorbidities may modulate treatment response.
  • Ibudilast failed to lower peripheral inflammation markers, prompting calls for extended, phenotype-driven studies to clarify its neuroimmune effects in alcohol use disorder.