Vaccine May Nix Nicotine

Nicotine patches and Nicorette gum may be a thing of the past—smokers may soon be able to kick their habit with a simple shot.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced last Tuesday that it will be one of ten sites across the nation to research the effects of NicVax, a vaccine that may help addicts quit smoking. The MGH study is the only one being conducted in the Northeast.

Like other vaccines, NicVax is composed of a protein molecule. What makes this vaccine unique, according to University Health Services (UHS) Chief of Medicine Soheyla D. Gharib, is that the protein binds to a chemical—the nicotine molecule—and not a microbe.

“This will be the first time we have a vaccine to a chemical,” Gharib said.

When the vaccine is injected into the bloodstream, the body makes antibodies that learn to recognize the nicotine molecule. When the smoker lights up, the antibodies will prevent the nicotine from reaching the brain, which will cause the smoker to get less satisfaction from a cigarette.

According to a press release from MGH, the vaccine is different from other smoking cessation methods, which do not take away the satisfaction of nicotine.

“Since this vaccine keeps nicotine out of the brain, smoking no longer has any pleasurable effects, and the smoker should find it easier to quit,” said Nancy Rigotti, the director of the MGH Tobacco Research and Treatment Center, who will be leading the study, according to the press release.

The release also said that because antibody levels increase slowly, smokers should experience this decline in “nicotine reward” gradually and not suffer withdrawal symptoms.

UHS Director David S. Rosenthal said that some smokers cannot quit despite their best efforts because of physical addiction.

“So many people have died saying ‘I tried to quit, I couldn’t quit,’” he said. “There are a significant number of people who do get addicted.”

According to a study released this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 21% of adults aged 18 and over said that they regularly smoke cigarettes. Gharib said that 85% of those adults want to quit smoking, because they are well aware of the medical risks as well as the social alienation or inconveniences that come with smoking.

“There’s going to be a huge market for it,” she said of the vaccine.

All participants, who must be aged 18 or over, have already been selected for MGH’s yearlong study. The National Institute on Drug Abuse is coordinating the clinical trials, which are sponsored by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the vaccine.

Gharib said that she was unsure how a nicotine vaccine would affect college-age adults or teenagers. She said that younger people may be less interested in the vaccine because they tend to be more risk-prone than older adults, who may be “feeling mortality a little bit more.”

“They kind of get it that this is taking away from their lives,” she said.

—Staff writer Katherine M. Gray can be reached at kmgray@fas.harvard.edu.