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A vaccine to treat cocaine dependency help addicts managed to halve the use of drugs.

Researchers at the School of Medicine, Yale University, U.S., tested an experimental vaccine with 55 cocaine addicts during a clinical trial that lasted 24 weeks. The study results were published in Archives of General Psychiatry (Archives of General Psychiatry). They found that 38% of participants failed to reach adequate levels of antibodies to help experiencing a feeling of euphoria they produce the drug.

The vaccine works by “wrapping” to cocaine so that it has no effects on the brain, heart or other organ, “” this is the first successful controlled trial of a vaccine against cocaine, “the scientists say.

According to previous studies conducted with animals and humans, high levels of antibodies in the blood anticocaine addicts can avoid experiencing that feeling.

However, researchers stress that the vaccine who managed the high level of antibodies, only maintained it for two months, so it would need repeat injections.

According to investigators, the effects of high antibody levels began to be seen until the eighth week of the test. Taking into account that on average, a patient comes to treatment after six to eight years of drug abuse, may be needed two years of vaccines, scientists say.

In the study, were recruited and 115 individuals dependent on cocaine and opioids (like morphine or heroin) and were randomly selected to receive five injections of the active vaccine or five injections of a dummy treatment for 12 weeks.

Of the 55 subjects who completed the trial, 21 (38%) achieved antibody levels of 43 micrograms per milliliter or more. Those who get that level of antibodies were significantly more urine samples clean of cocaine (45%) between weeks nine and 16 of the study than those with lower levels of antibodies and those receiving placebo treatments.

As researchers point out, the proportion of participants who were able to reduce cocaine use in half was significantly higher among those who received the active vaccine (53%) compared with the placebo group (23%).

Scientists say that the adverse effects associated with the vaccine were mild to moderate.
The symptom that most often complained about the participants was hardening and pain at the site of injection.