Cost and Cost-effectiveness of the COMBINE Study in Alcohol-Dependent Patients

Abstract

Alcohol use is the third leading preventable cause of death,¹ and alcohol abuse and dependence impose substantial costs on society. In 1998, the estimated societal cost of alcohol abuse in the United States was $184 billion.² The sizable economic and societal costs of alcohol abuse and dependence have prompted considerable interest in developing interventions to ameliorate these costs and to improve patient functioning. Several behavioral interventions³ and 2 pharmacotherapies—naltrexone and acamprosate^4,5—have been shown to be efficacious.