The vaccine is designed to help produce anti-cocaine antibodies in the bodies of people who are chemically dependent on the substance.
Brazilian scientists have announced the development of a revolutionary new vaccine to treat addiction to cocaine and its powerful derivative, crack.
The treatment, called Calixcoca, has shown promising results in animal studies and triggers an immune response that blocks cocaine and crack from reaching the brain. Simply put, vaccines work by preventing addicts from getting high from drugs.
Researchers involved in the project hope it will help users break the cycle of addiction.
Frederico García, a psychiatrist and coordinator of the project at Brazil’s Federal University of Minas Gerais, said that if the treatment receives regulatory approval, the vaccine could be used to treat cocaine addiction. It is said to be the first time.
Last week, the project won the top prize of 500,000 euros at the Euro Health Innovation Award for Latin American medicine, sponsored by pharmaceutical company Europharma.
The vaccine works by stimulating a patient’s immune system to produce antibodies that bind to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream, which are so large that they are linked to the brain’s mesolimbic system, or “reward center.” make it impossible to enter. This mesolimbic system is where drugs typically provide stimulation that induces high levels of pleasure. Dopamine.
Similar research is being conducted in the United States, the world’s largest consumer of cocaine, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
But Garcia said those efforts stalled for a number of reasons, including a lack of satisfactory results in clinical trials.
Calixcoca has so far proven effective in animal studies, producing significant levels of antibodies against cocaine and having few side effects.
Researchers also found that cocaine protects rat fetuses from cocaine, suggesting that it could also be used in humans to protect the fetuses of pregnant addicts.
The vaccine is now scheduled to enter the final stage of clinical trials – human trials.
There is no “panacea”
Garcia says Cariscoca has the potential to change the face of addiction treatment.
“There is no specific registered treatment for cocaine and crack addiction. We currently use a combination of psychological counseling, social assistance and rehabilitation as appropriate,” he said.
Garcia believes Cariscoca could add an important tool to that treatment by helping patients at critical stages of recovery, such as when they finish rehabilitation.
Because the vaccine is made with lab-engineered compounds rather than biological components, it costs less to produce than many vaccines and doesn’t need to be stored at cold temperatures.
Still, Garcia cautions that it’s not a “panacea” that can be administered to everyone.
The exact target audience will depend on the results of clinical trials, but in theory it is aimed at recovering addicts who are “off[cocaine]and want to stay that way,” he said.
The goal is to change what Garcia calls “sad statistics.”
advertisementAccording to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in four cocaine users becomes addicted.
And only one in four addicts successfully quits after five years of treatment.
Given the risks, hopes for the vaccine are high. More than 3,000 people have contacted Garcia’s team to volunteer to participate in the clinical trial.
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video editor • Aisling Ní Húrin
