According to John Mendelson, MD, Chief Medical Officer of DxRx, a startup focused on helping people with alcohol use disorder, excessive drinking is the biggest drug problem in the world. It is estimated that one in ten people have a problematic relationship with alcohol.
Traditional approaches to treatment, such as AA or rehab have not had good long-term results for many people. Effective medications, such as naltrexone, are now available, although they are vastly underutilized.
DxRx has designed a program that uses medications to reduce alcohol cravings as its underpinning. Medication management is supported by digital technology (tracking breathalyzer measurements twice a day, digital photos of pill-taking behavior) as well as telemedicine (telephonic counseling and support).
John says the company works with people to establish their goals for treatment – do they want to cut back, continue to social drink, or become abstinent altogether? And then provides support to help them achieve it.
Although they do have not yet formal outcomes research to validate outcomes, they do have data from their first cohort of patients who have been with them for 30 days. These data document a 60% reduction in alcohol use from baseline data. These data include breathalyzer data that are more objective than traditional self-reporting of use.
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