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Response rates to medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD) are disappointingly low when outcomes are defined categorically as abstinence or no days of heavy drinking. These investigators reanalyzed results from three multisite, placebo-controlled trials of naltrexone, varenicline, or topiramate involving 1169 AUD patients (mean age, 45; study length, 13–16 weeks) to compare such categorical criteria with WHO's more-graduated definitions of response.
WHO risk levels were dependent on grams of ethanol imbibed daily (with a standard drink having 14 g ethanol) and were defined as abstinence, low risk, medium risk, high risk, or very high risk, with lower ingestion levels for women than men. Risk reduction was defined as the percentage of patie…