New Opiate Vaccine

[raybeez]

I came across this article in this week's issue of the journal Vaccine and figured some other people here might find it interesting. The authors designed a vaccine which generated antagonistic antibodies which prevented both heroin and morphine from crossing the brain of rats when administered via injection.

The vaccine was non-cross reactive, and did not affect the action of other opiate drugs and b-endorphin. If this works in humans, it would block any and all CNS effect of heroin and morphine, and would likely block the drugs action on non-neural opiate receptors as well. Looking at the actual design of the vaccine, I can't see any reason why it wouldn't work in humans.

The paper concludes with a statement by the authors saying that they'll be moving this fairly quickly into PhaseI/II trials. What does everyone think about this type of approach (a cocaine vaccine is in phase II trials as well) to dealing with addiction?

I have the full text available in .pdf and will share with a PM request.

 

[BilZ0r]

It's not really a treatment for addiction. But they will stop you from getting high. The studies on cocaine antibodies show that they can be made to linger in the system for quite a while, but you still have to try and convince "addicts" to come into the clinic to get shot up with proteins.

Ultimately, they should have less physiological effect that an ultra-long lasting opioid antagonist, but I am curious about the safety of large proteins giving non-parenterally.

 

[raybeez]

It's not really a treatment for addiction. But they will stop you from getting high. The studies on cocaine antibodies show that they can be made to linger in the system for quite a while, but you still have to try and convince "addicts" to come into the clinic to get shot up with proteins.

It's not a far stretch to imagine the WoD warriors eventually making such vaccines manditory in certain situations (i.e. following drug convictions, as part of court ordered treatment plans). It also seems plausible that some might try and have these vaccines included in the current vaccine delivery pipeline (pediatric vaccines).

Ultimately, they should have less physiological effect that an ultra-long lasting opioid antagonist, but I am curious about the safety of large proteins giving non-parenterally.

The protein being used in this paper is ~100KDa; not exceptionally large at all. Also, being a vaccine, the amount administered in miniscule (250ug/kg) in rats, and even less would be required for humans.

 

[BilZ0r]

It's not a far stretch to imagine the WoD warriors eventually making such vaccines manditory in certain situations

better than most of the other options available right now. Seems fair to me, even in a non-WoD situation. You abuse drugs, you loose the right to use them.

The protein being used in this paper is ~100KDa; not exceptionally large at all. Also, being a vaccine, the amount administered in miniscule (250ug/kg) in rats, and even less would be required for humans.

What do you think put those English guys in hospital a couple of weeks ago?

 

[fastandbulbous]

Also, would you like to be in a situation where you're in extreme pain in hospital, they give you morphine to try and treat the pain, but you're just instead left in screaming agony?

Just as dangerous as the pellet implants of narcotic antagonists

 

[raybeez]

What do you think put those English guys in hospital a couple of weeks ago?

Their immune systems, not the protein!

The protein they were administered was an designer antibody, and not one produced naturally by their immune systems. It turned out that the designer antibody (TGN1412) had affinity for certain T-cell surface receptor that triggered the immune-system mediated response that hospitalized them.

Antibodies generated in vivo, including those generated in response to vaccine proteins, go through a rigorous selection process within lymphatic tissue to ensure that they're not cross reactive with host proteins.

Also, would you like to be in a situation where you're in extreme pain in hospital, they give you morphine to try and treat the pain, but you're just instead left in screaming agony?

They'd have to administer a synthetic opiate fentanyl instead

 

[BilZ0r]

^ All of the other drug "vaccine" have been long half-life antibodies...

And as Raybeez said, and antibody would be better than pharmacological blockade, because you can just use a novel opioid to get around it.

 

[raybeez]

^ All of the other drug "vaccine" have been long half-life antibodies...

Yeah I think you're right in terms of the cocaine vaccine (the administration of 'designer antibodies') but the heroin/morphine vaccine causes a natural in vivo immune response, followed by host-generated antibodies (just like any vaccine which induces immunity towards infectious agents).

 

[BilZ0r]

I see... linked to the tetanus toxoid.

 

[rat tat tat tat]

If it only blocks heroin/morphine then any self-respecting junkie would find another opiate to use.

 

[Phat_bass49]

I think it's a good idea, however, I wouldn't want it to become avaliable at all because we can't trust the governments of the world not to make it mandatory after a drugs conviction or something.

I can see where it's going, injections at birth to stop anyone having any type of recreational drug use. Fuck that, this project should be binned to stop the progression of an orwillian state.

Protiens like this should never be synth'd in the first place. If the governments and various authorities could be trusted it'd be an exelent thing to have, but they can't and i believe they never will be trustworthy.

 

[BilZ0r]

I think it's a good idea, however, I wouldn't want it to become avaliable at all because we can't trust the governments of the world not to make it mandatory after a drugs conviction or something.

Again, what would be so bad about that? If makes sense to me. Opioid addiction isn't a nice thing... semi-permanenetly preventing people who have been addicted, and hence are likely to be addicted again, seems like a good thing; especially if it doesn't effect any important clinical endpoints, like analgesia.

 

[Phat_bass49]

^ I'm more worried about madatory "anti drug abuse" injections at birth.

It'd be a much better idea to let the addicts be addicts, and supply them with whatever they're addicted to, on the cheap and through a proper organisation so that they can lead normal lives.

If people don't want to be addicted then they can just stop taking the drug. I understand that some drugs are extremely addictive, but they should have thought about that before they decied to get hooked on it. I undertsnad that there will be special cases where people are addicted through no fault of their own and there should be a system for these people too.

I just don't have enough confidence in the authorities of the world to allow them to have such a drug. I really think they would abuse it, for example, the injections at birth, or maybe to the mother before birth happens. They might start putting these anti-abuse drugs into general jabs and not tell people about it, you know what they're like.

 

[raybeez]

^^^

I think it's a legitimate concern. In most countries, 90% of the vaccination carried out in populations takes place in children ages 18 mo. to 4 years of age. These vaccines are typically mandatory. Addiction and drug use is often considered to be a public health concern comparible to infectious disease, so what would stop the anti-drug vaccines from also being delivered in this manner?

 

[BilZ0r]

^ In what country are vaccines mandatory?

And again, what would be so bad about anti-drug injections at birth? It's a fuck load better than waiting for people to become addicted and then throwing them in prison.

There is no such thing as safe drug use, no drug use is always the best.

 

[frizzantik]

Again, what would be so bad about that? If makes sense to me. Opioid addiction isn't a nice thing... semi-permanenetly preventing people who have been addicted, and hence are likely to be addicted again, seems like a good thing; especially if it doesn't effect any important clinical endpoints, like analgesia.

It'd be one thing if it was used as a tool to help addicts in voluntary recovery programs.. it's another thing entirely if it's forced on people. I think the whole forced vaccination idea is a bit of a red herring though... as you say, opiate addiction isn't a nice thing. if someone wants help quitting, something like this might be useful, though as others have said, if it doesn't stop all opiate activity, a user could always just switch chemicals

 

[frizzantik]

what would be so bad about anti-drug injections at birth? It's a fuck load better than waiting for people to become addicted and then throwing them in prison.

It would take away peoples' ability to choose for themselves if they want to use opiates. Not everyone who uses opiates a) becomes addicted or b) gets thrown in prison.

 

[raybeez]

Many states in the USA have mandatory vaccination legislation, but ALL states require that children be vaccinated before entering school (private or public).

I think there is juristiction for mandatory vaccination of adults in response to public health emergencies (i.e. bioterrorism).

In Canada where I live, 3/10 provinces have similar mandatory vaccine legislation requiring some or all of the pediatric vaccines be given before children start school. Across the rest of the country, vaccination is mandatory, but parents are allowed to opt their children out if they cite religious regions.

Again, public health emergencies allow mandatory vaccination to occur regardless (I've twice been forced to have a vaccine I didn't want in response to an outbreak of a certain disease in people of my age group within my city).

 

[frizzantik]

it's of course possible for the state to require everyone get opiate vaccines, and yes addiction is often seen as a disease, but I really don't think most people would support the government if they tried to make it mandatory.

Regardless of the fact that it's possible this could be used as an oppresive tool, it could still be used to benefit those already addicted and have difficulty quitting.

 

[BilZ0r]

Many states in the USA have mandatory vaccination legislation

Oh, I didn't know that... fuck the US is fucked up... for it's supposed bastion of freedom ideal, it's a fucking horrific place.

When I said, "what would be so bad about the vaccine" I was talking about in a War on Drugs environment... When you don't have the (legal) choice to take opiates in the first place, the only difference is with the vaccine, you're not risking getting addicted.