Smoking: New Vaccine May Stop Addiction
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Smoking addictions could soon become a thing of the past. An anti- nicotine vaccine is about to go before the FDA.
Nabi BioPharmaceuticals was awarded a $10 million grant to take its anti-nicotine vaccine, NicVAX, to Phase III clinical trials. The testing began last week.
NicVAX is designed to stimulate the immune system to generate antibodies that latch on to nicotine in a smoker’s body and actually prevent nicotine from ever entering the brain. As a result, the brain does not produce the positive-sensation stimulants as a response to nicotine.
Smoking-related diseases cause an estimated 440,000 American deaths each year. Smoking costs the United States over $150 billion annually in health care costs.
Lenneice A. Drew is an experienced journalist currently focused on healthcare reform. She is working to help others achieve better lives by finding affordable health insurance alternatives and reporting stories related to the healthcare industry. She lives in Miami, Florida.
