Scientists develop a vaccine for COCAINE addiction that stops users from getting high – and they want to trial it on humans next year
Scientists in Brazil, one of the world’s biggest consumers of cocaine, are developing a vaccine against addiction to the drug and its powerful derivative crack.
Called ‘Calixcoca’, it works by triggering an immune response that prevents cocaine and crack from reaching the brain, meaning users no longer get high on the drug, which can help break the cycle of addiction.
The experimental shot has shown promising results in animal tests and will soon enter the final phase of trials: testing on humans.
Earlier this year it also emerged that vaccines against fentanyl and heroin overdoses, which would be given to high-risk drug users, were also successful in animal studies and will soon reach humans. Trials should begin next year, suggesting vaccines could be a new way to get a handle on America’s overdose problem.
The vaccine, called ‘Calixcoca’, works by triggering an immune response that prevents cocaine and crack from reaching the brain, meaning users no longer get high on the drug, which can help break the cycle of addiction.
So far, Calixcoca has proven effective in animal testing, generating antibodies against cocaine with minimal side effects
When someone snorts cocaine, the powder is absorbed into the blood through the nasal tissues.
People can also rub the drug on their gums or dissolve it in water and inject it, where it quickly reaches the bloodstream and intensifies the drug’s effects.
The Brazilian vaccine works by prompting the immune system to release antibodies that attach to cocaine molecules in the blood.
This makes the molecules too large to enter the brain’s mesolimbic pathway or the brain’s ‘reward center’. Here the drug is said to stimulate high levels of the pleasure-inducing hormone dopamine.
By blocking the molecules, the vaccine would prevent a person from experiencing the high they usually experience after taking the drug.
The injection is not intended to reverse a cocaine overdose, but hopes to prevent an addict from using the drug in the first place due to the lack of a high.
It is not clear whether the vaccine will be administered in one go or in multiple injections.
If the vaccine is approved by the regulator, it would be the first time cocaine addiction has been treated with a vaccine.
Psychiatrist Frederico Garcia, head of the team that developed the treatment at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil, said AFP Although there had been attempts to make a similar effort in the US, these were stopped when clinical trial results were not strong enough.
Psychiatrist Frederico Garcia heads the team that developed the treatment at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil
So far, Calixcoca has proven effective in animal testing, generating antibodies against cocaine with minimal side effects.
Human trials are now planned, and Dr. Garcia said more than 3,000 people have contacted his team to volunteer for the clinical trials.
Last week, the vaccine won the top prize – half a million dollars – at the Euro Health Innovation Awards for Latin American medicine.
There is currently no registered treatment for cocaine and crack addiction, Dr. Garcia said, and the only option for an addict is a combination of “psychological counseling, social assistance and rehabilitation.”
The vaccine would help patients in the most critical stages of recovery, such as when they leave rehab, he added.
It also appeared to protect rat fetuses from cocaine, researchers found, suggesting it could be given to pregnant addicts to protect their unborn babies.
The shot is made entirely of chemical compounds designed in a laboratory, rather than biological ingredients, as many other vaccines, such as some for cancer, are made.
This means it is cheaper to make and does not need to be stored at low temperatures.
If approved, the vaccine won’t be available to everyone, Dr. Garcia said, but it will be for recovering addicts who have stopped using cocaine and want to stay off the drug.
In the US, cocaine is a Schedule II drug, along with fentanyl, methamphetamine and morphine. In Britain it is a class A drug – or one of the drugs with the greatest potential for abuse.
Crack, a derivative of cocaine, is made by boiling cocaine powder with baking soda and then breaking it into small pieces called rocks. Crack cocaine looks like white or brown pellets.
Both crack and cocaine are highly addictive. In America, one in four regular cocaine users becomes addicted, and only one in four of these addicts manages to quit after five years of treatment.
Globally, the cocaine industry is worth approximately $130 billion.
Drug overdose deaths involving cocaine have risen steadily over the years, from 6,784 in 2015 to 15,883 in 2019. By 2021, deaths had risen sharply to 24,486.