Results of “Cocaine Vaccine” Trials Promising

A study published in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry could have a serious impact on the medical treatment of cocaine addiction in a drug rehab program. As part of the study, 38 percent of patients immunized with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine saw a substantial reduction in their cocaine use.

Supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the clinical trial was the first successful demonstration of a vaccine against an illicit drug in a placebo-controlled setting. 115 patients from a methadone addiction treatment program were either given the cocaine vaccine or an inactive placebo vaccine. 53 percent of the patients in the trial saw a significant reduction in their cocaine use after eight weeks of treatment compared to just 23 percent of the placebo group.

The vaccine stimulates the body to produce antibodies that attach themselves to cocaine molecules in the bloodstream, making it difficult for them to pass into the central nervous system. This breakthrough could lead to a medical treatment of cocaine addiction being used in much the same way that certain drugs are administered to patients during alcohol rehab.