Anti-addiction vaccine devours cocaine like Pac-Man game

You must remember the good old Pac-Man, right? We are talking about that famous little game released in the 1980s in which a round head was devouring little pellets in a maze while running away from some ghosts. Because, according to the Daily Mail, a new vaccine to treat cocaine addiction has a mechanism of action very similar to that of the game's yellow acorn.

According to the publication, cocaine addiction sufferers have one of the highest recidivism rates among drug users. However, the new drug has a prolonged period of action and can become an effective weapon to help people get rid of addiction. The vaccine combines particles that mimic the structure of cocaine with the common flu virus, causing a mobilization in the immune system.

Pac Man

After the vaccine, the body identifies cocaine as a pathogen, "devouring" the substance before it reaches the brain of addicts. In addition, as the drug's duration of action is prolonged - about seven weeks - the effect occurs even during the dreaded relapses, and a few booster doses from time to time are enough to keep it active.

The Pac-Man vaccine was developed by US researchers and showed excellent results, first in mice and then in primates. The next step is to test the drug in humans, and determine how long it will take to apply the booster doses. It appears that the effects will be similar to those seen in pets, and that the vaccine will become an important weapon in the difficult fight against addiction.