Acamprosate (calcium acetyl homotaurinate) is a drug used in conjunction with psychosocial treatment to facilitate abstinence in alcohol-dependent individuals who have recently stopped drinking. Acamprosate has been prescribed in Europe for nearly 20 years. In 2004, it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), becoming the third drug (along with disulfiram and naltrexone) to receive FDA approval for the treatment of alcohol dependence. Developed by Merck, acamprosate is marketed under the brand name Campral (delayed-release tablets) and distributed in the United States by Forest Laboratories, Inc.

Acamprosate is structurally similar to the naturally occurring brain amino acid taurine and the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Although its precise mechanism of action is unknown, acamprosate is thought to facilitate abstinence by normalizing alcohol-induced neurotransmitter ...

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