New jab for alcohol addiction

A long-acting once-a-month injection to help recovering alcoholics from drinking has been developed by scientists at the University of Carolina in the US.

The injection uses naltrexone, a drug already used to treat alcohol addiction, but has to be taken daily in the form of tablets. The injectable form is more effective as patients do not need to remember to take it and has been shown to reduce heavy drinking by 25 per cent.