American researchers are studying the effectiveness of a vaccine against cocaine, which seems very promising. The vaccine could help treat addiction for this drug.
The vaccine decreases drug intake by increasing the levels of an antibody against cocaine and render it completely inactive before it reaches the brain to produce its euphoric effects.
The clinical study was conducted over six months at Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut and Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.
In those individuals who received the cocaine vaccine, 38% developed high enough levels of the antibody to block the effects of the drug. However, the vaccine was only effective for about two months. This means that repeated injections are required for a real cure.
More than 1.6 million people in the United States alone are dependent on cocaine.