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… a new cocaine vaccine… the vaccine reduces use of the drug by raising anti-cocaine antibody levels in the blood, thereby inactivating the cocaine before it enters the brain and gives the user a high
However, the article goes on to say that the antibodies reached effective levels in only 38% of folks treated and they are only present about 2 months after getting the shot. Multiple vaccinations would be required.
Certainly this kind of treatment needs to be investigated, but don’t expect to see it out as an effective treatment any time soon. Although, it would be great if it could be boosted for improved effectiveness and long-term studies show “promise” as well.
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Some other media mentions from a listserv I am on:
Cocaine vaccine seen as successful in helping addicts in trial.
The New York Times (10/6, A18, Rabin) reports, "Scientists say they have developed a cocaine vaccine that can prevent addicts from getting high by blocking the drug's effect on the brain, though it does not blunt cravings for the drug," according to a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry. Researchers reported that although "the vaccine had only limited success, it created enough of an immune response in some subjects that many of them cut their drug use by half." The Times notes that the "trial's success is significant, because some of the same principles are being used by other scientists in trying to create an anti-nicotine vaccine, which could have even broader appeal."
The AP (10/6) adds that the results from the study "come just days after" the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) "announced plans for the first late-stage study of an experimental nicotine vaccine designed to help people quit smoking," which "has been fast-tracked by the Food and Drug Administration, and the research will be paid for with federal stimulus money."
Bloomberg News (10/6, Lopatto) also reports that the 12-week cocaine vaccine trial "injected patients five times with either a placebo vaccine or a cholera vaccine with cocaine hooked on to it, to provoke an immune response."
"Thirty-eight percent of the subjects receiving the vaccine produced antibody levels strong enough to prevent cocaine highs despite many dosages of the drug, and another 37 percent had antibody levels strong enough to prevent highs to one or two doses. The rest had little or no response," according to the Houston Chronicle (10/6, Ackerman).
The Chicago Tribune (10/6, Roan, Kaplan) notes, "Vaccines to help people recover from addictions to such substances as nicotine, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines appear scientifically achievable after doctors reported Monday" the results of their work on the cocaine vaccine. The Los Angeles Times (10/5, Roan) "Booster Shots" blog pointed out that about "300 cocaine-dependent individuals will be enrolled in a study beginning in January to further test the vaccine."
WebMD (10/5, Warner), MedPage Today (10/5, Smith), and HealthDay (10/5, Gardner) also covered the story.
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