Talking point: The highs and lows of a heroin vaccine

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI)  in California have developed a vaccine that blocks the ‘high’ of heroin.

Is the vaccine a cure for heroin addiction?

The TSRI team, led by Dr Kim Janda, has been looking at a vaccine for heroin for around eight years. Initial tests on the drug were carried out under lab condition and on rats. A more recent study was carried out using monkeys and it has proved effective.

There’s still a long way to go but this is a major breakthrough as no other vaccine for use against opioids has passed this stage of pre-clinical testing.  

How does it work?

The vaccine basically nullifies the effect of taking heroin. Users often report feeling euphoric and a sense of calm. The vaccine blocks its narcotic effects so the user doesn’t experience those sensations. In theory this means they wouldn’t want to take a drug that doesn’t do anything.

TSRI says that the vaccine works by exposing the immune system to a part of the heroin molecule’s structure which teaches it to produce antibodies against the drug and its psychoactive products. The antibodies neutralise the heroin molecules, blocking them from reaching the brain to cause a feeling of euphoria.  

What effect will this have on heroin users?

According to the researchers, blocking the high of heroin will mean that recovering addicts are less likely to relapse – after all, what’s the point?

When the vaccine was tested in rats, not only did the researchers find that both the high and the odds of relapse vanished but it also made the rodents highly immune to high doses of the illegal drug so less chance of deaths from overdoses.

How much of a problem is heroin addiction globally?

Drug Free World estimates 13.5 million people take opioids globally – this includes 9.2 million who use heroin.

According to CBS heroin use in the US has reached 20 year high.  

How often would someone have to take the vaccine?

TSRI researchers found that when the primates were given three doses of the vaccine they showed an effective immune response and varying doses of heroin could be neutralised. They reported that the effects of the vaccine were most acute the first month after the vaccination but the effects lasted over eight months.

Are there any side effects?

Apparently not. However, it was found that cravings for heroin still remained leading to some suggestions that users make seek other drugs to substitute the effect of heroin.

What next then for the drug?

Interestingly it’s been reported that Janda and his team haven’t had any financial offers to support further research in the vaccine and big pharma isn’t showing much interest. Without funding there’s a strong chance the patent on the drug could be lost.

According to Bill Dinker, there is currently too much money to be made in prescription drugs such as Suboxone to tackle opioid abuse. He says: “One dose of vaccine effectively eliminates what existing drugs already treat or try to treat. If a viable heroin vaccine went to market, Suboxone and Zubsolv sales would surely plummet.”