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Rimonabant (SR141716) has no effect on alcohol self-administration or endocrine measures in nontreatment-seeking heavy alcohol drinkers

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Abstract

Rationale

There is an extensive literature showing that the CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist rimonabant (SR141716) decreases alcohol consumption in animals, but little is known about its effects in human alcohol drinkers.

Methods

In this study, 49 nontreatment-seeking heavy alcohol drinkers participated in a 3-week study. After a 1-week baseline, participants received either 20 mg/day of rimonabant or placebo for 2 weeks under double-blind conditions. During these 3 weeks, participants reported their daily alcohol consumption by telephone. Subsequently, they participated in an alcohol self-administration paradigm in which they received a priming dose of alcohol followed by the option of consuming either eight alcohol drinks or receiving $3.00 for each nonconsumed drink. Endocrine measures and self-rating scales were also obtained.

Results

Rimonabant did not change alcohol consumption during the 2 weeks of daily call-ins. Similarly, the drug did not change either alcohol self-administration or endocrine measures during the laboratory session.

Conclusion

We conclude that the daily administration of 20 mg of rimonabant for 2 weeks has no effect on alcohol consumption in nontreatment-seeking heavy alcohol drinkers.

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Acknowledgment

Special thanks to Niloofar Ghassemzedeh, B.S. and Kathryn Rice, B.A. for many hours of collecting data for this manuscript and thanks to Shellie-Anne Levy, B.A. for assisting with data presentation.

Ethical standards

Approval for the study was obtained from the National Institute of Mental Health Institutional Review Board and was therefore performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. Signed informed consent was obtained by the Principal Investigator (D.T. George) or his designee from all participants prior to study involvement.

Disclosure/conflict of interest

D.T. George, M.D. has full control of all primary data and agrees to allow the journal to review the data if requested. No author has any commercial or financial involvement that would represent a conflict of interest. Stephanie S. O’Malley, PhD, is a member of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology task force, Alcohol Clinical Trials Initiative, which is sponsored by Eli Lilly, Janssen, Schering Plough, Lundbeck, and Alkermes. She is also on the Scientific Review panel for the Hazelden Foundation. Raafat Bishai, M.D., is employed by Sanofi-Aventis, and Sanofi-Aventis provided technical support and rimonabant. All work performed by government employees was done in accord with their official duties; therefore, the contents of this manuscript are considered to be within public domain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Clinical and Translational Studies, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 10 Center Drive, 10 CRC-Hatfield Center, Rm. 1-5330, MSC 1108, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1108, USA

    David Ted George, David W. Herion, Cheryl L. Jones, Monte J. Phillips, Jacqueline Hersh, Debra Hill, Markus Heilig, Vijay A. Ramchandani, Erick D. Singley & Robert R. Rawlings

  2. Clinical Center Nursing, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Christopher Geyer & David E. Spero

  3. School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Stephanie S. O’Malley

  4. International Clinical Development, Sanofi-Aventis, Malvern, PA, USA

    Raafat Bishai

  5. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA

    George Kunos

  6. NIAAA, 5625 Fishers Ln, MSC 9413, Rm. 2S-24, Rockville, MD, 20892-9413, USA

    George Kunos

Authors
  1. David Ted George
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  2. David W. Herion
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  3. Cheryl L. Jones
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  4. Monte J. Phillips
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  5. Jacqueline Hersh
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  6. Debra Hill
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  7. Markus Heilig
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  8. Vijay A. Ramchandani
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  9. Christopher Geyer
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  10. David E. Spero
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  11. Erick D. Singley
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  12. Stephanie S. O’Malley
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  13. Raafat Bishai
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  14. Robert R. Rawlings
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  15. George Kunos
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to David Ted George or George Kunos.

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George, D.T., Herion, D.W., Jones, C.L. et al. Rimonabant (SR141716) has no effect on alcohol self-administration or endocrine measures in nontreatment-seeking heavy alcohol drinkers. Psychopharmacology 208, 37–44 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-009-1704-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-009-1704-3

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