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Anti-smoking vaccine developed
15/05/2005 20:46 - (SA)
Orlando - An experimental anti-nicotine vaccine has shown encouraging results in helping smokers kick the habit, according to a study presented to a major conference of cancer specialists here.
Almost 60 percent of the 341 smokers who took the vaccine stopped smoking for at least six months, said Jacques Cornuz, a Swiss researcher who led the vaccine study.
Cornuz, of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois in Lausanne, Switzerland, said about a third of those who developed lower levels of antibodies stopped smoking, about the same fraction as those who received a placebo vaccine.
Tobacco is highly addictive and smoking is the major cause of cancer deaths in the world. There are estimated to be more than 1.3 billion regular smokers in the world.
Two thirds of those who took part in the study received five doses of the vaccine over four months, while the rest took a placebo.
About a third of the subjects were not included in the final analysis because they also used a nicotine gum or patch which could have hit the results, Cornuz told the American Society of Clinical Oncology (Asco) annual conference on Saturday.
The vaccine, developed by Cytos Biotechnology of Zurich, is based on a bacteriophage virus which attacks bacteria. The bacteriophage in the vaccine neutralises the nicotine before it can stimulate the brain, according to Cornuz.
Cytos Biotechnology now hopes to carry out more widespread medical studies to show the vaccine is safe and hopes to bring it on the market around 2010.
- AFP
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