Testing the Lungs With First Round of Smoking Trials
In a recent article published by the Washington Business Journal [http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/09/28/daily38.html ], Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has received $10 million in federal stimulus funding to start running its first late-stage human clinical trials on a smoking cessation vaccine. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awareded its largest grant ever to the Rockville bioteck for the clinical testing of NicVax, a vaccine that prevents nicotine from reaching a patient’s brain, thereby feeding the addiction.
So, could there be hope for those addicted to nicotine?
For so many people who smoke and have had trouble in the past with quitting, this new drug may provide them with some hope. However, there is no guarantee that it will work. Even if the drug ends up turning into something that is mainstreamed, it’s still another drug solving the problem of another drug. Is there too much drug use already? Will those who are addicted to nicotine suddenly find themselves addicted to NicVax or some other form of smoking cessation vaccine?
In a recent article published by the Washington Business Journal, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has received $10 million in federal stimulus funding to start running its first late-stage human clinical trials on a smoking cessation vaccine. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) awareded its largest grant ever to the Rockville bioteck for the clinical testing of NicVax, a vaccine that prevents nicotine from reaching a patient’s brain, thereby feeding the addiction.
So, could there be hope for those addicted to nicotine?
For so many people who smoke and have had trouble in the past with quitting, this new drug may provide them with some hope. However, there is no guarantee that it will work. Even if the drug ends up turning into something that is mainstreamed, it’s still another drug solving the problem of another drug. Is there too much drug use already? Will those who are addicted to nicotine suddenly find themselves addicted to NicVax or some other form of smoking cessation vaccine?
