Booze ruse

New Scientist’s special issue on alcohol explained how N
-acetyl-cysteine is supposed to ease hangovers
(27 November, p 36). Now an
Italian company is patenting compounds that it claims suppress “alcohol
withdrawal symptoms and craving”. Sigma-Tau Industrie of Rome (WO 99/17623) says
that a mix of l-carnitine, acetyl-l-carnitine and propionyl-l-carnitine, or
their “pharmacologically safe salts”, has the surprising effect of curing a
hangover. This removes any motivation to drink more alcohol as a “hair of the
dog” hangover cure the next day, the company claims.