Between 2011 and 2021, one in seventeen people in the world used some type of drug, which increased the number of users from 240 to 296 million. Cannabis remains the most popular and the number of users who suffered from drug use disorders skyrocketed to 39.5 million; that is, an increase of 45 percent.
In the midst of this increase in the number of users, a latent threat to public health in the world, a team of Brazilian scientists is currently developing a promising vaccine with the aim of combating addiction to cocaine and crack. This biological would provide consumers with a therapeutic alternative to abandon the vicious cycle of drugs.
A team of Brazilian scientists is currently developing a promising vaccine with the aim of combating cocaine and crack addiction.
This is a vaccine, known as ‘Calixcoca’, which mainly seeks to block the rewarding sensation that cocaine induces in the brain by activating the reward area.
Last October, this project received nearly $500,000 from the Euro Innovation in Health Latin America award, which is financed by the pharmaceutical company Eurofarma. The purpose of this award is to promote innovative and “high-impact” solutions in the field of health.
This is how the vaccine works
‘Calixcoca’ is defined as a therapeutic vaccine whose main function is to help cocaine-dependent people produce antibodies that bind to the drug and prevent it from entering the brain. In practical terms, the vaccine seeks to break the cycle of compulsion toward drugs, which, according to the project coordinator, psychiatrist Federico García of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), “increases the chances” that addicts who who wish to remain abstinent are successful in their fight against addiction.
Initial animal trials, prior to human testing, showed significant anti-cocaine antibody production, along with few side effects. In addition, the vaccine proved to be effective in protecting rat fetuses from the effects of cocaine, which could be a relevant advance in the treatment of pregnant women with addiction problems.
Although there are similar research projects in the United States, which did not advance due to unsatisfactory results in clinical trials, ‘Calixcoca’ stands out as the first project of its kind in Latin America. If clinical trials demonstrate its effectiveness and it obtains approval from the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), it would become the first anti-cocaine and anti-drug vaccine used as a medicine in the world.
What distinguishes the ‘Calixcoca’ vaccine, created for cocaine addicts, is that it is composed of chemical compounds designed in the laboratory, instead of biological compounds, which makes its production more economical and does not require a cold chain. for transportation. | Photo: Jeffrey Coolidge
What distinguishes ‘Calixcoca’ is that it is composed of chemical compounds designed in the laboratory, instead of biological compounds, which makes its production more economical and does not require a cold chain for transportation.
Currently, there is no specific registered treatment for cocaine or crack dependence, and psychological approaches, social assistance and hospitalization are used mainly. The vaccine would then act as an “adjuvant” in these multidisciplinary strategies and could help dependents avoid immediate relapses after leaving rehabilitation centers, one of the most critical phases of the recovery process.
The need for effective solutions is pressing, since according to data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the United States, approximately one in four regular cocaine users becomes addicted, and only one in four manages to quit. addiction after five years of treatment.
2023-11-07 20:50:43
#vaccine #blocks #cocaine #addiction #Calixcoca #works #developed #Latin #America #Semana #Magazine