VACCINE HOPE FOR COCAINE ADDICTS

The search for a vaccine to cure cocaine addiction has moved a step closer
with work about to start on the second stage of clinical trials.

The work is being carried out by a British biotechnology company in Slough.
The vaccine, code-named TA-CD, is understood to be the only product of its
type in clinical trials, marking a new approach to the treatment of cocaine
addicts, who usually have to rely on counselling and rehabilitation clinics.

Cocaine addicts, including many high-profile users in the music and
entertainment industries, try hard to overcome their addiction but most
relapse, creating huge interest in new treatments.

The vaccine, which has already completed phase I clinical trials to show
that the drug is safe, is designed to stop addicts receiving a "high" by
preventing the cocaine molecule entering the brain.

Cocaine, in common with nicotine, is a very small molecule which, when in
the bloodstream, is able to sidestep the brain's protective layer which has
evolved to prevent potentially damaging material getting into the brain.

Once there, cocaine interferes with the junctions between nerve cells,
producing the high associated with the drug.

However, TA-CD is seeking to stimulate the immune system to recognise
cocaine so that it becomes swamped by antibodies, making it too large to
cross the blood-brain barrier.