Addiction Vaccines Will Potentially Cure Nicotine and Drug
Dependencies Scientists in San Diego are developing new vaccines
that will potentially cure addictions, allowing cigarette and
drug abusers to kick their habits with a simple injection. Dr.
Kim D. Janda, a Scripps Research Institute professor, is one of
the leading experts, having made addiction vaccines his main
priority for the past 25 years. “We view this as an alternative
or better way for some people,” he tells The New York Times in
reference to rehab programs. The idea behind the vaccines is to
force the body’s immune system to create antibodies against
narcotics before they start taking affect, similar to injections
for diseases. This means that people already suffering from
cocaine addictions, for example, will feel less inclined to pick
up the drug again, as the vaccines change the drug’s affects on
the body. “The big problem plaguing these vaccines right now is
difficulty predicting in humans how well it’s going to work,”
says Janda. Another