Researchers have discovered what may one day become a vaccination that might prevent fentanyl from entering the brain.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is anywhere from 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, was initially developed as a treatment for pain management in the 1960s. However, the number of fatal overdoses caused by the drug has skyrocketed in recent years. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of deaths caused by synthetic opioids, which do not include methadone, increased by more than fifty percent.
This was primarily due to an increase in the illicit manufacturing of fentanyl, which can be mixed with other illegal drugs to make them more powerful and less expensive. methadone deaths did not contribute to this increase.
Depending on the size of the person and their tolerance level, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal. Every day, about 150 people lose their lives as a result of an overdose using of synthetic opioids.
Researchers at the University of Houston who worked on developing the new vaccination believe it has the potential to lessen the impact that fentanyl has on the brain, thereby reducing or eliminating the euphoric feelings that are caused by the drug. They presented their findings in an article that was published in the journal Pharmaceutics.
“We feel that these findings could have a big impact on a very important problem that has been troubling society for a lengthy amount of time—opioid misuse. Our vaccine has the ability to produce anti-fentanyl antibodies, which attach to the ingested fentanyl and prevent it from accessing the brain. This makes it possible for the kidneys to flush the drug out of the body instead of the brain. According to Colin Haile, the lead author of the study and a research associate professor of psychology at the University of Houston and the Texas Institute of Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), who was quoted in a press release issued by the University of Houston, “As a result, the individual will not feel the euphoric effects, and they will be able to ‘get back on the wagon’ to sobriety.” With the aid of the vaccine, those who are addicted to the substance might find it simpler to quit.
According to the authors’ estimates, approximately eighty percent of those who become dependent on the medication will eventually experience a relapse. The fact that the drug is readily available and frequently mixed with other substances does not help matters either.
In a tweet published by the government in honor of National Fentanyl Awareness Day this year, the administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration in the United States, Anne Milgram, referred to fentanyl as “the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever seen.”
“Fentanyl can be found anywhere. No town in the United States is immune to the threat posed by this poison, not even the most remote locations. We must make the most of every opportunity to spread the word in order to avert the overdose deaths and poisonings that are claiming the lives of dozens of people in the United States every single day,” she added.
According to the findings of the study, the antibodies that are produced by the vaccine target fentanyl; however, these antibodies do not lessen the effects of other medications that patients may require for potential pain control.
“The anti-fentanyl antibodies were specific to fentanyl and a fentanyl derivative. These antibodies did not cross-react with other opioids, such as morphine.
According to Haile, who is quoted in the release, “this indicates that a vaccinated person would still be able to be treated for pain alleviation with other opioids.”
The study has obvious limits because it was done on rats. Additionally, it aids folks who are opioid-dependent in overcoming their addiction, but it won’t help in an emergency situation like a sudden overdose. According to the experts, human clinical trials will be completed in the coming months.
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