Tobacco is the most widely used addictive drug in the world. Despite increasing efforts to decrease and prevent smoking, tobacco use still remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are 1.3 billion smokers worldwide and 5 million tobacco-related deaths each year.
The strongest evidence of efficacy
to treat nicotine addiction is achieved with a combination of two approaches: pharmacotherapy and counseling.
CYT002-NicQb is a therapeutic vaccine in development for treatment of nicotine addiction.
Vaccination with CYT002-NicQb induces nicotine-specific antibodies that bind nicotine in the blood and reduce nicotine uptake into the brain. In this way, activity of nicotine in the brain should be reduced and the addiction-driving and satisfaction-inducing stimulus of nicotine minimized. CYT002-NicQb aims to prevent relapses after quitting and thus help people to break their addiction to nicotine in the long term.
The Swiss Drug Maker's vaccine proved to be successful so far, as it has already passed one preliminary test. 40% of the participating smokers have quit within nine month since being injected with the drug.
According to Bild, the new drug is to be released by 2010.
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