Vaccines are a powerful tool used to protect the human body from contracting many harmful diseases ranging from small pox to Covid-19. Although the process of creating vaccines are different for every illness the principle remains the same. Vaccines are designed to trigger the patients own immune system to develop antibodies against a target. These targets are usually viruses that are harmful to the human body, but a professor of neurobiology at Columbia University, Sandra Comer, has recently began trials testing the potential use for a vaccine against a different type of killer: opioids.
The reasons for wanting to create a vaccine to help curb the opioid epidemic do not seem to end. Opioids are class of drugs that are intended to help reduce acute and chronic pain felt by patients. Unfortunately this class of drugs has a high potential for abuse and can lead to what is known as opioid use disorder, a chronic lifelong disorder with devastating consequences that include disability and death.
In fact the population affected by opioid related drug overdoses is only growing. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than 92,000 Americans died from the deadly effects of opioids in 2020, which is a 30% increase from 2019.
Although the vaccine trials are still in the early phases, Comer’s new approach to slow the spread of opioid use disorder has the potential to help millions of people affected by the drug. Pravetoni, a researcher from the University of Minnesota Medical school who also helped design the vaccine told the Washington Times, “the vaccine-induced antibodies work like an antidote or like a sponge soaking up the circulating drug target so that the drug cannot exert its effects/actions”. If too much of the drug is present in the body, the hope is that this vaccine would prevent excess opioids from being absorbable.
Too many people have suffered from the adverse affects of opioids and it is daunting to learn that this number is only growing larger. Everyone who is prescribed narcotics to treat pain is a potential victim to developing a dependence or experiencing an overdose. With so many people at risk, this vaccine is intended to prevent the spread of the opioid epidemic.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Inquiry, and Government Relations.
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