smoking vaccine

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2005-05-29 11:39pm

So my sister-in-law was mentioning how she heard about a smoking vaccine and I was surprised that such a thing could be possible.
so I looked and hey what do ya know, it is being developed.

So would you give yourself (if you smoked and wanted to quit but had prbelems doing so)this vaccine? or your child?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2005-05-29 11:53pm

How the hell would a smoking vaccine work? Smoking is not a virus.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-05-29 11:55pm

WTF? Hows that going to work?

Is it more like that one chemical they give drunks that make them vomit if they drink booze? That would make more sense, rather than a vaccine.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-05-29 11:58pm

*reads article* Have your anti bodies stop nicotine from entering your brain? Can that possible work?

I see only 40% quite with the drug and 31% quite with the placebo. Not good numbers, if you ask me. Could be some phycological crutch some are using to bolster their resolve to quite.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2005-05-30 12:15pm

The real test for something like this would be whether or not it prevents young people from becoming habitual smokers after trying a cigarette.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-05-30 08:24pm

Darth Wong wrote:How the hell would a smoking vaccine work? Smoking is not a virus.

While it isn't truly a vaccine, here is how it works according the the article.

The Linked Article wrote: The vaccine is designed to induce the production of antibodies against nicotine to block the entry of the toxic substance to the brain. This should eliminate the addictive and satisfying effects of nicotine that make it difficult for smokers to quit and remain abstinent in the first months after quitting.

Darth Fanboy · Post by **Darth Fanboy** » 2005-05-30 08:26pm

Damnit I didn't need to post that, probably alreayd read the article anyways *bashes self on head*

But anyways, its as much of a vaccine as the Star Trek "radiation vaccine."

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-05-30 08:35pm

Knife wrote:*reads article* Have your anti bodies stop nicotine from entering your brain? Can that possible work?

I see only 40% quite with the drug and 31% quite with the placebo. Not good numbers, if you ask me. Could be some phycological crutch some are using to bolster their resolve to quite.

The P-tests probably show this as being not all that effective either, but vaccines can and are made to treat certain drugs like an antidote as it were. The advances recently in proteomics allows tailormade antibodies, or immunoglobulins, to be made that attack and opsonise specific molecules. The same technology is being experimented with nanoengineering to have antibodies that carry a small beta emitter and selectively kill cancerous cells.

Illuminatus Primus · Post by **Illuminatus Primus** » 2005-05-30 08:40pm

They said they were making something like this for cocaine; that seems rather shortsided. Cocaine is a legitimately and currently used local anesthetic for ear, nose, and throat specialists, due to its unique anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties.

Mr. B · Post by **Mr. B** » 2005-05-30 08:45pm

I dont know about smoking vaccines, but I do know about medical marijuana.

And by the way Death from the Sea, my Halo 2 stats are better.

http://www.bungie.net/Stats/PlayerStats ... r=BigB5596

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-05-30 08:45pm

Illuminatus Primus wrote:They said they were making something like this for cocaine; that seems rather shortsided. Cocaine is a legitimately and currently used local anesthetic for ear, nose, and throat specialists, due to its unique anesthetic and vasoconstrictive properties.

I believe alternatives can be used such as atropine, but I'd have to look that up. The process of eliminating such an addiction via humoral immune defences would be the same for this nicotine vaccine, as to how effective it would be, we'd need extensive trials. I'm sure a big company like GSK could pull it off better.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2005-05-30 08:49pm

Here's an interesting question.

How many people here would secretly inject or trick a friend or relative into taking this vacine if it were proven to work?

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-05-30 08:57pm

I'd consider using it on my mum and an aunt, but getting them to take it would be pretty difficult anyway if I were to go through with it.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-05-30 09:34pm

Alyeska wrote:Here's an interesting question.

How many people here would secretly inject or trick a friend or relative into taking this vacine if it were proven to work?

Not in the slightest. And I'm an ex smoker myself. If some one wants to volunteer for it, fine but tricking some one into a drug or vaccine is shitty.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-05-30 09:39pm

I know my mum sometimes has a fag now and then, which is still disgusting even. So I'd just tell her straight up what it was and see if she'd take it. She's done the patches before and they didn't work too well.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-05-30 09:42pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:I know my mum sometimes has a fag now and then, which is still disgusting even. So I'd just tell her straight up what it was and see if she'd take it. She's done the patches before and they didn't work too well.

You should want to quite first. That's the trick, whether you use will power, patches or some drug/vaccine.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2005-05-30 09:51pm

True, but I don't know anyone that really went into buying such patches or gum or going to clinics when they only saw it as a half-assed thing and didn't care for quitting.

Knife · Post by **Knife** » 2005-05-30 09:56pm

Admiral Valdemar wrote:True, but I don't know anyone that really went into buying such patches or gum or going to clinics when they only saw it as a half-assed thing and didn't care for quitting.

I've seen plenty with the patches and gum doing it half ass. Mom, dad, significant other want em to do it so they 'try' and fail. Clinic on the other hand.......

Probably has more to do with money than anything. The patches and gum don't cost much less than the smokes themselves. Going to a clinic or the Betty Ford is pricey.