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Waiting To Inhale: New Vaccine May Curb Nicotine Lust

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2007

Most smoking-cessation methods - gum, lozenges, patches and nasal sprays - act as replacements for nicotine. A new approach - attacking dependency in the brain - aims to rob smokers of the nicotine buzz from cigarettes, and an injectable drug designed to do that shows promise in a new study.

The study tested NicVAX, a vaccine designed to "immunize" smokers against the rush fueling their addiction. It's made by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals of Boca Raton.

The treatment keeps nicotine from reaching the brain, taking the fun out of smoking and hopefully making it easier to give up. Some nicotine still gets in, possibly easing withdrawal, the main reason quitters relapse.

Nation/World, Page 6

•In the study, more than twice as many people given five shots of NicVAX stopped smoking than those given fewer or phony shots - about 15 percent versus 6 percent after one year.

•The study involved 301 longtime smokers in cities including Minneapolis, San Francisco, Boston and New York.

•The National Institute on Drug Abuse has given $8 million for the research.

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