SP and UFMG will develop a vaccine against crack and cocaine – 06/01/2023 – Health

The City of São Paulo signed a partnership with UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) for the development of the Calixcoca vaccine against addiction to crack, cocaine and derivatives.

The immunizer has been under study since 2015. After completing the pre-clinical tests with mice, in which the production of anti-cocaine antibodies was observed in the animals’ bodies, the researchers began searching for resources for studies in humans.

In the tests, the antibodies produced by Calixcoca created, from a synthetic molecule, a barrier that prevented cocaine from being taken by the blood to the central nervous system and the brain, which interrupted the mechanism that provokes the compulsion for the drug.

The partnership between Frederico Garcia, professor and researcher at UFMG, and the city hall team responsible for moving forward with the process was signed this Thursday (1st). The team includes municipal health secretaries, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, and government secretaries, Edson Aparecido, the head of the municipal management office, Vitor Sampaio, and the person in charge of Covisa (Health Surveillance Coordination), Luiz Artur Caldeira.

The next stages of studying the vaccine could cost BRL 4 million to the coffers of the City of São Paulo.

As the research progresses, the immunizer application will be evaluated in eligible groups, including chemical dependents in the recovery phase. The vaccine, nominated for the Euro award, which recognizes the innovation of Latin American professionals in medicine, may also help in the treatment of dependence on other drugs.

Secretary Luiz Carlos Zamarco said that, if successful, the vaccine could be decisive for the treatment of crack and cocaine addicts who, according to data from the UN (United Nations), account for 11% of drug addiction in Brazil.

“It will be, among other scientific advances, a movement for psychosocial recovery and the reintegration of drug addicts into society”, said the municipal secretary of Health.

Calixcoca was also effective in protecting pregnant women — it reduced the number of spontaneous abortions and contributed to weight gain in fetuses, in addition to protecting them from chemical dependency developed by the mother.

The idea for the development of the vaccine arose from the suffering of crack-dependent pregnant women who arrived at the UFMG outpatient clinic.