14 DAY TRIAL // A group of scientists in the United States announces the development of a vaccine against heroin high. The chemical injection should also benefit those who want to quit drugs, but find it very difficult to do all by themselves.
Experts at the Scripps Research Institute (SRI) explain that the therapeutic potential of the vaccine was already proven in animal models, and that clinical trials are now needed to ensure they are equally as efficient for human patients.
The way the chemical works is quite simple. Once injected into the body, it triggers the production of a specific antibody that does not allow heroin to reach the brain. Furthermore, the substances stops many of the psychoactive compounds metabolized from heroin from reaching the brain as well.
Details of the vaccine were published in the latest online issue of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and will also appear in an upcoming print issue of the American Chemical Society (ACS) publication.
If heroin and its secondary compounds do not reach the brain, they cannot produce euphoric effects, and neither the sensation of addiction that many people experience as a result, AlphaGalileo reports.
“In my 25 years of making drug-of-abuse vaccines, I haven’t seen such a strong immune response as I have with what we term a dynamic anti-heroin vaccine. It is just extremely effective,” explains researcher Kim D. Janda.
She holds an appointment as the Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Chair in Chemistry at Scripps, and is alos a member of the SRI Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology. The scientist was also the principal investigator on the research.
“The hope is that such a protective vaccine will be an effective therapeutic option for those trying to break their addiction to heroin,” the expert adds. Preventing heroin from being metabolize would definitely take all the edge off the drug.
“We saw a very robust and specific response from this heroin vaccine. I think a humanized version could be of real help to those who need and want it,” study coauthor George F. Koob says. He is the chair of the SRI Research Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders.
According to official statistics, the costs of treating the heroin abuse epidemic in the United States alone amount to more than $22 billion annually. The more people experts managed to help quit the habit, the more efficient the healthcare system will become.
The most important thing about this new accomplishment is that the vaccine can be used in conjunction with other heroin rehabilitation therapies without any side effects, the SRI research team concludes.