Efforts to develop a vaccine capable of preventing tobacco addiction got $10-million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The award to Nabi Biopharmaceuticals of Rockville, Md., was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The Recovery Act funds will help pay for the first pivotal phase III trial of NicVAX, an injectable vaccine intended to help people quit smoking and prevent them from relapsing. Earlier results show that smokers using the vaccine had higher rates of quitting and longer term cigarette abstinence than those given a placebo. Successful completion of the study will bring the vaccine closer to final approval. 0
Like other vaccines, NicVAX works by boosting the immune system. In this case, the goal is to generate antibodies that bind to nicotine. Normally, nicotine is a small molecule that travels quickly through the lungs, then the bloodstream and into the brain. However, when nicotine is trapped by an antibody, it’s too large to get into the brain, subverting the rewarding effects of the drug. 0
“We know that once inside the brain, nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, a chemical linked to pleasure and to addiction. Once a person becomes addicted, it is extremely difficult to achieve and sustain abstinence. Withdrawal symptoms, environmental cues, and stress can all trigger relapse,” said NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow. “A vaccine that limits the ability of nicotine to enter the brain, and that is effective for six to 12 months following vaccination will give smokers a fighting chance to end the addiction/relapse cycle that plagues the great majority of smokers trying to quit.” 0
Annually in the U.S., cigarette smoking costs more than $193 billion ($97 billion in lost productivity and $96 billion in health care expenditures).
“Nicotine addiction causes nearly a half million deaths annually in the United States alone. Finding effective treatments that can help people stay off cigarettes has been a real challenge,” said NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins. “This Phase III trial of a nicotine vaccine offers tremendous hope towards solving this immense public health problem.” 0
In the future, the anti-nicotine vaccine could also prove to be a powerful tool in smoking prevention,” says Volkow.