Cocaine vaccine: modestly, but with taste

Americans have successfully tested a vaccine against cocaine addictionCopper news

A clinical trial of a vaccine against cocaine addiction has been successfully completed in the United States, according to AP (Vaccine-like shots help fight cocaine addiction). The report on the study, which was funded by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse (National Institute on Drug Abuse), is published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.

The study involved 115 volunteers who, in addition to cocaine addiction, also suffered from addiction to opioids. Participants were given five injections of an experimental drug, and then controlled cocaine use by urine tests.

The effect of the cocaine addiction vaccine is based on stimulating the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to cocaine molecules and prevent their penetration into brain tissue. A person vaccinated in this way is not able to feel the euphoric effect of drug use.

After the introduction of the experimental drug, a sufficient number of antibodies were developed in 21 participants of the study. During the follow-up, urine tests of these participants found no traces of cocaine use in 45 percent of cases. In those who received a placebo or did not develop enough antibodies, "clean" urine tests were 35 percent.

In addition, 53 percent of drug addicts who received the vaccine reduced their consumption of cocanin by half. In the control group, a similar decrease in drug use was recorded in 23 percent of the subjects.

Specialist in Drug Addiction Research at the University of Pennsylvania (University of Pennsylvania) Kyle Kampman stated that, despite the modest results, this study clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of a new method of preventing cocaine addiction.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru 06.10.2009