The Prospects of an Immunotherapy for Smoking Cessation
Overview
Smoking is a major preventable cause of death and disability that is maintained by dependence on nicotine. Although existing pharmacological aids to smoking cessation and relapse prevention (NRT and bupropion) improve upon behavioural methods, more effective pharmacological methods are required that improve patient compliance, reduce side effects and can be used in combination with existing cessation methods. A "nicotine vaccine" is a promising immunotherapeutic approach to smoking cessation and relapse prevention. It induces the immune system to form specific antibodies to nicotine that prevent it from crossing the blood brain barrier to act on CNS receptor sites. This project discusses the most promising clinical applications of a human nicotine vaccine in relapse prevention in abstinent smokers. It also considers the issues that will arise if a nicotine vaccine proves to be safe and effective, namely ensuring that it is registered for clinical use and that the poorer members of the community (among whom smoking prevalence is now highest in developed countries) have access to it.
OPPE Staff
Wayne Hall
Status
Review has been completed
Outcomes
A paper has been published
in a peer-reviewed journal:
Hall, W. The prospects
for immunotherapy in smoking cessation. Lancet 2002, 360: 1089-91.
Funding
OPPE
Contact webmaster: oppe@uq.edu.au
Last updated: 9 July
2003