Cocaine Vaccine

Really...a vaccine against cocaine.click here for the whole paper...

Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Addiction
NIDA Study Suggests Harnessing the Immune System Against Cocaine Addiction May Prove
Effective
Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in
cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial supported by the National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study,
published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, is the first successful, placebocontrolled
demonstration of a vaccine against an illicit drug of abuse.
“The results of this study represent a promising step toward an effective medical treatment for
cocaine addiction,” said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. “Provided that larger follow-up
studies confirm its safety and efficacy, this vaccine would offer a valuable new approach to
treating cocaine addiction, for which no FDA-approved medication is currently available.”
Like vaccines against infectious diseases such as measles and influenza, the anti-cocaine vaccine
stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies. Unlike antibodies against infectious
diseases, which destroy or deactivate the disease-causing agents, anti-cocaine antibodies attach
themselves to cocaine molecules in the blood, preventing them from passing through the bloodbrain
barrier. By preventing the drug’s entry into the brain, the vaccine inhibits or blocks the
cocaine-induced euphoria.
This study included 115 patients from a methadone maintenance program who were randomly
assigned to receive the anti-cocaine vaccine or a placebo (inactive) vaccine. Participants were
recruited from a methadone maintenance program because their retention rates are substantially
better than programs focused primarily on treatment for cocaine abuse. Participants in both
groups received five vaccinations over a 12-week period and were followed for an additional 12
weeks.