Copyright 1993 Phoenix Newspapers, Inc.
THE PHOENIX GAZETTE
August 28, 1993 Saturday, Final
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
SECTION: FRONT; Pg. A4
LENGTH: 104 words
HEADLINE: DRUG SAID TO CUT CRAVING FOR COCAINE
BYLINE: From GAZETTE news services.
DATELINE: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
BODY: A drug that could shut down a drug user’s craving for cocaine or heroin may be tested at the University of Miami.
An advisory panel this week recommended that the FDA approve a limited study of the drug, ibogaine, despite concerns over possible side effects.
Dr. Juan Sanchez-Ramos, an associate professor of neurology at the university, said there was some evidence the drug helps correct a chemical imbalance that occurs in the brains of drug users.
But the university study will only look at whether the drug is safe to take, Sanchez-Ramos said, not whether it is effective in curbing drug dependence.
