AKTIV-DRY WINS FUNDING FOR TRIALS OF NICOTINE VACCINE
Aktiv-Dry has been awarded an $850,000 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the NIH to develop an inhalable nicotine vaccine. The SBIR grant is a fast-track award to fund Phase I and II activities.
"We will reformulate Nabi's NicVAX injectable vaccine as a stable, dry powder consisting of particles -- 1 to 3 microns in diameter -- that humans can inhale and that can easily be delivered to the lungs," Brian Quinn, president of Aktiv-Dry, said.
The investigational vaccine is designed to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to nicotine and prevent it from entering the brain. It is believed that these nicotine antibodies will act like a sponge, soaking up nicotine as it circulates in the bloodstream and preventing it from reaching the brain. The positive stimulus in the brain that is normally caused by nicotine is no longer present, eliminating the addictive properties of nicotine.
Because the ability of the body's immune system to produce these antibodies is expected to be long lasting, it is believed NicVAX will also be effective in preventing smoking relapse. By preventing the pleasurable response that occurs when nicotine reaches the brain, NicVAX takes away what is believed to be the main reason that most people cannot stop smoking.
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