Alcohol addicts are being refused a drug because doctors have unfounded fears it is dangerous, experts have found.
Naltexone is not being given to up to 99 per cent of people who need it over fears it is toxic to the liver, researchers warn.
But there has been no evidence to support such claims, according to the ever first systematic review of its kind.
This could have 'devastating consequences', academics said, because dishing out the drug could reduce deaths among alcoholics.
Alcohol addicts are being refused a drug, naltexone, as doctors have unfounded fears it is toxic, experts at the University of Manchester found in a systematic review
There were 7,697 alcohol-specific deaths in the UK in 2017, or 12.2 deaths per 100,000 population, according to official figures.
The review of 89 clinical trials of naltrexone by the team at the University of Manchester was based on 11,194 participants.
The results were published in BMC Medicine.
It found no evidence of any serious side effects linked to naltrexone, which, when used, works alongside supportive therapy.
The only risk is if a person is also taking painkilling opiates, the researchers, led by Dr Monica Bolton, said.
Dr Bolton, who conducted the research as part of her Master's degree said: 'Though naltrexone is licensed for the treatment of alcohol addiction, it remains under-utilized.
Oral naltrexone has been used to treat opioid dependence for many years and has been approved to treat alcohol use disorders (AUDs) since 1994.
Naltrexone reduces both the rewarding effects of alcohol and craving for it.
By blocking craving, naltrexone may enhance the ability of patients to abstain from drinking. By blocking the pleasure from alcohol, naltrexone also may reduce the amount of heavy drinking in those who do drink.
A meta-analysis in 2004 of 19 controlled clinical trials found that, compared with using placebo, short-term treatment (less than or equal to 12 weeks) with naltrexone significantly improved relapse rates, and short-term treatment was also linked with a lower percentage of drinking days.
Naltrexone's FDA-approved label includes a black-box warning regarding hepatotoxicity, although these reversible effects tend to be associated with much higher doses than those used in routine clinical practice.
Source: Treatment Improvement Protocol
'And that has devastating consequences for individuals, health and social services in the UK and around the
