Two scientists at Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine developed a revolutionary vaccine meant to help the cocaine addicts get rid of the terrible habit. How does the vaccine work?  Its developers say it Is based on a inactive form of cocaine which stimulates the creation of antibodies that will fight to prevent the drug from reaching the brain of the consumer.

The current treatment for cocaine addiction consists of a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and a Motivational Therapy (MT), but the discovery of the new vaccine will certainly make the treatment much easier and bearable for the addicts.

Dr. Tom Kosten, psychiatry professor, and his wife, Dr. Therese Kosten, psychologist and neuroscientist, have been working on the vaccine for the last 10 years. The team of two asked the Food and Drug Administration, after years and years of studies, to approve the trial of the vaccine as soon as spring.

“For people who have a desire to stop using, the vaccine should be very useful. At some point, most users will give in to temptation and relapse, but those for whom the vaccine is effective won’t get high and will lose interest,” said Dr. Kosten in an interview (The Associated Press).

Although a promising treatment, there are still pessimists out there. According to the same source, Dr. David Gorelick, senior investigator at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said: “Addiction vaccines are a promising advance, but it’s unlikely any treatment in this field will work for everyone. Still, if they prove successful, they will give those working in drug addiction an important option.”

Cocaine addiction produces both physical and psychological dependency, which can further lead to depression, lethargy, or even worse, a life threatening overdose. The National Institute on Drug Abuse  is currently researching modafinil – a narcolepsy drug that could potentially be a cocaine treatment, but the 12-step program has been claimed by participants to be the most effective on a long term so far.