Health aNd Fitness Guide

A husband and wife team of researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, is developing a first-of-its-kind vaccine to treat people addicted to cocaine.

Accordong to Dr Tom Kosten, a psychiatry professor who is leading the study, “For people who have a desire to stop using cocaine, the vaccine should be very useful. At some point, most users will give in to temptation and relapse, but those for whom the vaccine is effective won’t get the high and will lose interest”.

The vaccine works by urging the immune system to attack the drug when it is taken. When a person takes cocaine, the body does not produce any immune response. This is because the cocaine molecules are so small that the immune system is unable to recognise it, and hence fails to make antibodies to attack them. The vaccine works by attaching inactivated cocaine to the outside of the inactivated cholera proteins, so that the immune system can recognise the drug and make antibodies to the combination of inactivated cocaine and cholera proteins. These antibodies will recognise cocaine in the body and the antibody-bound cocaine will not be able to reach the brain, thereby failing to give the person the highs.

The vaccine is undergoing clinical trials, and is not yet approved by the FDA.

Drug Abuse? Dial for Aid

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and India’s Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched a national drugs toll free helpline in India - 1800 11 3872. Details of the callers and their problems will be kept confidential.