Pubdate: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 Source: West Australian, The (Australia) Page: 11 Fax: +61 8 94823830 Author: Francesca Hodge HEROIN TREATMENT BLOCKED Key Report Throws Doubt On Doctor's Naltrexone Trial HEROIN addicts who want to join a controversial Perth-based Naltrexone treatment program will be turned away while a report into the trial is examined. George O'Neil, who runs the trial from his Subiaco clinic, said yesterday he had been told not to speak to the media about the independent report, which was commissioned by the Federal Government. But Dr O'Neil said he would have to turn away heroin addicts for at least three months. However, 930 people who were taking Naltrexone would continue to be treated. Naltrexone stops addicts feeling high when they use heroin. Dr O'Neil said its use in the treatment of heroin addiction might be registered early next year. It is believed the 68-page report was delivered to Dr O'Neil on Wednesday by Susan Alder, director of the Therapeutic Goods Administration drug safety and evaluation branch. In August, a Commonwealth-appointed panel of experts headed by former Fraser government minister Peter Baume investigated the trial. WA Health Departmdnt mental health division head George Lipton said at the time that despite government funding, there were concerns about whether the trial fitted the classification of a research program. The department had been concerned about several deaths associated with the trial. The Stale Government allocated $180,000 to Naltrexone trials -$60,000 of which went to Dr O'Neil's program and $20,000 to the University of WA's Department of Psychiatry. Dr O'Neil said he had no guarantees on the status of the remainder of the funding. "I'm negotiating to try to get confirmation that West Australian patients needing this treatment can continue to have it," he said. "The thing that matters the most to me is that people who bring their children in to me to be treated can do so and I have no written reassurance that that is the case." Dr Alder could not be contacted and Health Minister John Day said it would be inappropriate to comment until Dr O'Neil had a chance to respond to the report. - --- Checked-by: Patrick Henry