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Scientists have invented a vaccine for methamphetamine
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have synthesized a new vaccine that is aimed at treating people addicted to methamphetamine. According to the developers, it helps to overcome addiction with minimal manifestations of withdrawal syndrome that occur during treatment.
Scientists have successfully tested an experimental methamphetamine vaccine on rats. The animals that were injected with the drug were not affected by the drug and did not show typical signs of intoxication. If the vaccine passes the tests and proves effective in humans too, it could become the first specific treatment for drug addiction, which experts estimate affects 25 million people worldwide.
Over the past two decades, methamphetamine has become one of the most widely used drugs worldwide. In the United States alone, there are more than 400,000 active addicts, and in some states, including California, methamphetamine is the drug that gets most addicts started.
Methamphetamine is highly addictive and is part of the gateway to heroin addiction.
The new vaccine stimulates the production of antibodies in the addict's body that bind to the drug in the bloodstream, preventing it from entering the brain and causing addiction-related reactions.
The authors of the study emphasize that the vaccine is not a preventive measure, but is aimed at treating people who already suffer from drug addiction. They also say that there is no guarantee that there will be no relapse. In addition, the drug must be used in combination with other methods of influence - consultation with a psychologist and hospitalization.
"We think this vaccine has all the necessary properties and functions to allow us to move forward in the fight against drug addiction," the study authors say.
The drug's developers plan to conduct another large-scale study and then request formal approval for clinical use of the drug from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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