The present proposal is intended to answer the call for accelerating drug development by exploring the potential of a novel anticonvulsant, Pitolisant as a candidate medication for the treatment of AUD. Pitolisant is an H-3 receptor inverse agonist that is FDA-approved for treating narcolepsy which has been found to have effects of on alcohol craving and consumption in preclinical studies. The aims of this study are to test the effects of Pitolisant on alcohol self-administration and craving among a sample of non-treatment seeking heavy drinkers. The effects of 5-days of pitolisant (8.9mg) or placebo will be evaluated in a human laboratory using an alcohol self-administration methodology. In this within-subjects crossover design, heavy drinkers (N=28) will be randomized to the order of exposure (Pitolisant or placebo) prior to completing two alcohol self-administration trials. Subjects will receive a priming drink of alcohol and will have access to 8 alcoholic drinks over a 2-hour period. The investigators anticipate that subjects will consume less alcohol during an alcohol self-administration trial when receiving Pitolisant compared to when they are receiving placebo. Significant Pitolisant-induced reductions in the quantity of alcohol self-administered will be considered to be an indication that this drug may have value as an AUD medication. This study may provide a rationale for phase II clinical studies testing Pitolisant with a treatment-seeking AUD population.
This is a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design trial that will test the effect of pitolisant on alcohol self-administration and craving following a priming dose of alcohol. The specific objective of this proposal is to determine whether pitolisant has effects on alcohol consumption and craving