Vaccine Prevents Heroin High in Animals

Researchers are seeing promising results in animals from a vaccine designed to prevent a heroin high. The new heroin vaccine, which targets both heroin and a chemical produced by its breakdown, produces antibodies that appear to prevent heroin from reaching the brain and producing euphoria. In a study conducted at the Scripps Research Institute, addicted rats that were given the vaccine also were less likely to self-administer more heroin, in contrast with the ones that did not get the vaccine. The findings were released online in advance of print publication in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

Since heroin abuse and addiction also help drive the spread of HIV through needle sharing, the researchers are now exploring whether it might be possible to combine an HIV vaccine and a heroin vaccine into the same injection. The same researchers also have produced vaccines that try to stop the effects of cocaine and nicotine, both of which are currently being tested in humans.