The cocaine vaccine may be a possible solution for people hooked on the substance. Dr. Tom Kosten and his wife Therese are at the forefront of the scientific breakthrough.
Kosten explained, "At some point, most users will give in to temptation and relapse, but those for whom the vaccine is effective won't get high and will lose interest."
Kosten sought on December the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a multi-institutional trial for the cocaine vaccine by spring to pave the way for its final approval.
More than 50 medical solutions have been proposed to conquer cocaine addiction, but most fall short. At present, the most effective is a combination of psychiatric counseling and the 12-step program.
There are an estimated 2 million cocaine users in the U.S.
Kosten is also doing research on vaccines for methamphetamine, heroin and nicotine addictions. Frank Vocci, director of the Treatment Research and Development at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, said, "Anti-drug vaccines may provide an important weapon against addition... We're starting to see progress. We just need to see more."
A similar vaccine has been developed in 2004 by a U.K. pharmaceutical company, according to the BBC. The TA-CD vaccine was developed by Xenova, with clinical trials in the U.S. It did not stop the craving for cocaine, but like the Houston findings, it took away the high or kick from the drug.
The trial test of TA-CD showed those who took the cocaine vaccine were able to stay away from the prohibited substance for six months.
