New Cocaine Vaccine Blocks the Effects of the Drug
Yale University researchers, with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have tested a cocaine vaccine that they say significantly reduces cocaine use in an addicted population.
The cocaine vaccine creates immune system antibodies that attach to cocaine 
molecules in the blood. After this immune response, the cocaine molecules are too large to pass through the blood brain barrier into the brain, and so the cocaine has little or no effect. You can still take cocaine, but you won’t get high.
To test this vaccine, the researchers recruited 115 cocaine users from a methadone maintenance program. Half of these study subjects received multiple injections of the cocaine vaccine over a 12 week period, and half received multiple injections of a placebo. All study subjects received relapse prevention counseling and all provided frequent urine and blood samples for testing.
The challenge has been to create a vaccine that causes a large enough antibody response in the blood to significantly reduce the amount of cocaine that gets to the brain. The vaccine tested by the Yale researchers caused a significant antibody response in 39% of those given it – which is a significant improvement over previous cocaine vaccine attempts.
The Results:
• Of those given the cocaine vaccine, the 39% that attained a significant antibody level in the blood had significantly fewer cocaine positive urine samples during weeks 9 through 16.
• Those subjects that attained the highest antibody response, had the fewest cocaine positive urine samples
Although the vaccine did not induce cocaine abstinence, it did cause a significant reduction in cocaine use, which the researchers say is associated with greatly improved health and social functioning.
There is at present, no FDA approved medication for the treatment of cocaine addiction.
