“Prescription opioids (POs) such as oxycodone and hydrocodone are highly effective medications for pain management, yet they also present a substantial risk for abuse and addiction. The consumption of POs has been escalating worldwide, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths due to overdose each year.” So state authors Atsushi Kimishima, Cody J. Wenthur, Bin […]

So state authors Atsushi Kimishima, Cody J. Wenthur, Bin Zhouand, Kim D. Janda of the Scripps Research Institute, in a recent article published in ACS Chemical Biology and highlighted in the December 15th edition of The Economist, reporting on their development of an anti-opioid vaccine.

In the article the authors describe “the preparation of two active PO vaccines” and that “Administration of these vaccines resulted in a significant blockade of opioid analgesic activity, along with an unprecedented increase in drug serum half-life and protection against lethal overdose.”

At present the vaccine has only been tested on mice but, if similar results can be replicated in humans, these findings could lead the way for advancements in the treatment of drug addictions.

An Advance in Prescription Opioid Vaccines: Overdose Mortality Reduction and Extraordinary Alteration of Drug Half-Life
ACS Chem. Biol., Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable)
DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.6b00977

Read more articles from Kim D. Janda:

Newly Designed Quinolinol Inhibitors Mitigate the Effects of Botulinum Neurotoxin A in Enzymatic, Cell-Based and Ex Vivo Assays
J. Med. Chem., Just Accepted
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b01393

Influencing Antibody-Mediated Attenuation of Methamphetamine CNS Distribution through Vaccine Linker Design
ACS Chem. Neurosci., Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable)
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00389

Structural Analysis Provides Mechanistic Insight into Nicotine Oxidoreductase from Pseudomonas putida
Biochemistry, 2016, 55 (48), pp 6595–6598
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00963

Cocaine Vaccine Development: Evaluation of Carrier and Adjuvant Combinations That Activate Multiple Toll-Like Receptors
Mol. Pharmaceutics, 2016, 13 (11), pp 3884–3890
DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b00682

Learn more about ACS Chemical Biology.

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