MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- A new nicotine vaccine has promise for helping smokers kick the habit.
A University of Minnesota study indicates the nicotine vaccine NicVax, which is being tested in humans, appears safe, well tolerated and a potentially effective method for helping smokers quit.
The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
"The vaccine works by producing antibodies that specifically bind to nicotine and thereby prevent much of the nicotine from entering the brain," said Dorothy Hatsukami, director of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center's Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center.
"This process potentially reduces the pleasurable effects from smoking and reduces the addiction to nicotine."
Hatsukami said the vaccine has few side effects on the central nervous system because the antibody itself is targeted specifically for nicotine and does not alter any functions of the brain.
While this study was not designed to test the treatment effect, 38 percent of participants in the high-dose vaccine group quit smoking for at least 30 days.
