TSRI scientists develop vaccine against fatal prescription opioid overdose

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have developed a vaccine that blocks the pain-numbing effects of the opioid drugs oxycodone (oxy) and hydrocodone (hydro) in animal models. The vaccine also appears to decrease the risk of fatal opioid overdose, a growing cause of death in the United States. “We saw both blunting of the drug’s effects and, remarkably, prevention of drug lethality,” said Kim D. Janda, the Ely R. Callaway Jr. Professor of Chemistry and member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology at TSRI. “The protection against overdose death was unforeseen but clearly of enormous potential clinical benefit.” The study was published online ahead of print in the journal ACS Chemical Biology. How It Works The new oxy/hydro vaccine takes advantage of the immune system’s ability to recognize, seek out and neutralize invaders. Opioids were designed to reach receptors in the brain, causing pain reduction and feelings of euphoria. For their vaccine, the...