Novel pharmacotherapies for cocaine abuse - 1995 to present

A new area in pharmaceutical development addresses the possibility that drug abuse can be treated with a medication. The advent of two successful treatments for drug abuse, nicotine patches and methadone, together with a growing cocaine abuse problem have sparked recent interest in developing a pharmacotherapy for cocaine abuse. Behavioural methods have been developed to the point where active compounds are likely to be identified, and a few potential agents have been found. Specific neurochemical effects of exposure to cocaine have suggested a number of additional targets, some of which have prompted the development of new ligands. Of those, drugs targeted at serotonergic, dopaminergic, GABAergic, opioid, and excitatory amino acid receptors have received the most attention. This article reviews recent advances in the development and testing of such agents, as well as patent applications (since 1995) for medications to treat drug abuse.