Called “Calixcoca,” the vaccine has shown promise in animal testing, stimulating an immune response that prevents cocaine and other drugs from reaching the brain, which researchers hope will help users break the cycle of addiction. Essentially, addicts will no longer feel high.
If the treatment is approved by regulators, it would be the first time a vaccine has been used to treat cocaine addiction, said psychiatrist Frederico Garcia, coordinator of the vaccine development team at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
The project on a vaccine to treat addiction won the top prize, worth $530,000, last week at the European Health Innovation Award for Latin medicine, sponsored by pharmaceutical company Eurofarma.
The vaccine works by prompting the patient's immune system to produce antibodies that bind to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream, making them too large to enter the brain's pleasure pathway, known as the "reward circuit." This is where stimulants typically mimic the high levels of dopamine that produce pleasure.
Similar research was also conducted in the United States, the world's top cocaine consumer, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. However, the research was stalled when clinical trials did not produce the expected results, among other reasons.
So far, Calixcoca has been shown to be effective in animal testing, producing large amounts of antibodies against cocaine with very few side effects. The vaccine also protected mouse embryos from cocaine, suggesting it could be used in humans to protect unborn babies when their mothers are addicted.
The vaccine is now in the final stages of human trials. According to Dr. Garcia, Calixcoca could reshape addiction treatment. However, Dr. Garcia cautions that Calixcoca is not a “wonder drug” that can be used on everyone. The specific target population will depend on the results of the clinical trials, but the theory is that the vaccine will target recovering addicts “who are not using cocaine and want to stay that way,” he says.
Anti-addiction vaccines are made using laboratory-made chemical compounds, rather than conventional biological components, so they are less expensive than many other vaccines and do not require refrigeration.
The team's goal is to change the "dismal statistics" about addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in four people who regularly use cocaine will become addicted, and only one in four addicts will be clean after five years of treatment.
To date, more than 3,000 people have contacted Frederico Garcia's team to volunteer for clinical trials.
Minh Hoa (according to Lao Dong and Tuoi Tre newspapers)
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