Challenges and opportunities for medications development in alcoholism: an international perspective on collaborations between academia and industry.

This article represents the proceedings of a symposium presented at the 12th Congress of the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism held in Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany, on September 30, 2004. The organizers and cochairs were Bankole A. Johnson, DSc, MD, PhD, and Karl Mann, MD. The presentations included the following: (1) A Perspective from Academia, by Bankole A. Johnson, DSc, MD, PhD; (2) A Perspective from NIAAA, by Mark L. Willenbring, MD; (3) A Perspective from US Clinical Practice, by Robert M. Swift, MD, PhD; (4) A European Perspective on Medications Development, by Otto M. Lesch, MD, PhD, and (5) A Scandinavian Perspective on Evidence-Based Addiction Treatment, by Mats Berglund, MD.