Drug Company Planning Next Phase Of Trials In Hopes Of Controlling Gambling Urges

As part of a larger press release, San Diego based drug company Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc. released the following statement today:

A Phase II clinical trial with oral nalmefene for the treatment of pathological gambling was completed by Somaxon's strategic partner, BioTie Therapies Corp. in 2003. Somaxon intends to initiate a double-blind, randomized, multicenter Phase II/III clinical trial in 2005 for the use of oral nalmefene for the treatment of pathological gambling, a growing health concern that has been recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association since 1980. It is estimated that in North America there are approximately 3 million pathological gamblers according to the National Gambling Impact Study Report. Pathological gambling is designated as an Impulse Control Disorder (ICD) which also includes pyromania, kleptomania, and intermittent explosive disorder. Pathological gambling and other ICDs represent significant unmet medical needs, with no approved drug therapy to treat these disorders.