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Smoking Cessation Vaccine To Begin Human Testing

The pharmaceutical firm Nabi, based in Boca Raton Florida is to begin testing NicVAX, a vaccine that has been shown to prevent nicotine addiction in laboratory rats, on humans. 

The vaccine works by stimulating the immune system to recognize the nicotine molecule, and produce antibodies that will attack the nicotine before it enters the brain. These antibodies would prevent the nicotine from entering the brain, and  stimulating neurotransmitters that cause the pleasurable and addictive qualities of nicotine. 

The vaccine will be intended to help prevent smokers who quit cold turkey from relapsing, and starting to smoke again. The vaccine may also some day be used to prevent people from smoking.  Rats that were injected with NicVAX, then given nicotine, were shown to have much less nicotine in their brains, compared to rats who received nicotine without the vaccine. Vaccinated rats had no evidence of nicotine withdrawal, while unvaccinated rats that were fed nicotine,  then had it withheld,  did experience tremors and other withdrawal symptoms. 

Nabi plans on initiating studies on humans later this year, starting with 100 smokers, and 40 nonsmokers. Still to de determined is the amount of vaccine required and the frequency it would need to be administered. Individuals may need to get booster shots of the vaccine, to produce the antibodies against nicotine. 

Vaccine research is known to be very slow, taking many years before the final product becomes available.  Nabi, however, is aiming to have NicVAX  on the market as early as 2004 if all goes well with the clinical trials.

 

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