Cocaine plays a part in 400,000 emergency room visits and 5,000 deaths annually in the U.S., and now an antidote for cocaine addiction may be on the way. Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a way to protect mice from overdose, and hope they can apply this to humans—if they can find a way to produce it for the low.
The author of the study, Dr. Kim Janda, says this would be the "first specific antidote for cocaine toxicity." Back in 2005, Dr. Janda found that a mouse-derived anti-cocaine antibody could keep mice alive where the average dose would typically kill them. Mouse antibodies don't work well in humans, as the human immune system soon develops a resistance to them.
GNCgzk is the strongest of these antibodies, and a more pure form of that proved to be more effective, as Dr. Janda said there was a "reversal of the signs of cocaine toxicity within seconds of the injection." In addition, the antidote could be useful in preventing short-term relapses, and would be available in rehab or detox programs along with other medications.
[via The Daily Mail UK]
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