Scientists from Brazil have developed a vaccine designed to fight addiction to cocaine and its potent derivative crack – it prevents drug addicts from feeling the effects of drugs and helps them stay on the road to recovery.
The drug, known as Calixcoca, was developed by a team from Brazil’s Federal University of Minas Gerais. Preliminary animal trials were positive, and the drug is now being prepared for human trials.
According to the coordinator of the research team, psychiatrist Frederico Garcia, if the drug receives regulatory approval, it will be the first vaccine to combat cocaine addiction.
Garcia told Agence France-Presse that the drug works by prompting the body to produce anti-cocaine antibodies that bind to the drug, making them too large to pass into the brain’s mesolimbic system, or “reward center,” where the drug usually stimulates high levels of pleasure-inducing dopamine.
Testing has shown that the drug can also reduce the risk of overdose, as cocaine molecules bound to antibodies produced by the vaccine will not be able to affect the heart or arteries.
Tests on pregnant rats have shown that antibodies are transmitted through mother’s milk, suggesting that the vaccine may also protect breastfed infants.
Garcia warned that the vaccine would not be a panacea and said it would be most useful for recovering drug addicts who do not want to get hooked on drugs again after rehabilitation.
He said that clinical trials conducted by Brazilian health regulator Anvisa will be necessary to determine how the drug can be used and to identify any side effects or long-term effects on patient health.
Last week, the research team received a $530,000 award for their work, sponsored by Brazilian pharmaceutical company Eurofarma.
