WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical
Corporation (Nasdaq: IMUL) today reported in Nature Medicine new research that
establishes the feasibility of a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of
cocaine addiction.  Company scientists and their colleagues at Boston
University demonstrated for the first time that antibodies against cocaine can
extinguish drug-seeking behavior for cocaine in an animal model of addiction.
The vaccine that induces anti-cocaine antibodies was effective at minimizing
passage of cocaine into the brain in animals receiving intravenous
administration of cocaine, a route comparable to that used by human abusers of
the drug.  The vaccine was also effective against multiple doses of cocaine.
    ImmuLogic scientist and lead author of the publication, Barbara Fox,
Ph.D., commented, "Our results confirm the potential of a cocaine vaccine as a
valuable new tool in the treatment of cocaine addiction.  To consider the
vaccine feasible for development as a human therapeutic, it was important to
show that the vaccine was effective when cocaine was administered in a
clinically relevant manner, that it modified behavior, and that vaccine-
induced antibody levels were sufficient to minimize the passage of cocaine
into the brain.  We are pleased to report that we have accomplished all of
these objectives, and plan to move this vaccine into the clinic in 1997."
    Dr. Fox added, "A cocaine vaccine will provide a powerful new tool for the
treatment of this serious addiction.  The vaccine is intended to be used in
humans to prevent relapse as part of a comprehensive treatment program."
    The U.S. Institute of Medicine estimates that 2.1 million people in the
United States use cocaine on a weekly basis, and several hundred thousand use
it daily.  Approximately 400,000 patients seek medical treatment for cocaine
abuse on a yearly basis in the U.S.  Although there has been some success in
treating heroin and alcohol addiction by pharmacological and behavioral means,
no effective treatment currently exists for cocaine addiction.  The National
Institute on Drug Abuse has identified cocaine addiction as a life-threatening
condition and recently awarded ImmuLogic an SBIR grant to complete preclinical
development of the vaccine.
    The ImmuLogic researchers first investigated the ability of mouse anti-
cocaine antibodies to inhibit drug-seeking behavior in a model of addiction.
In this model, shown to accurately predict the likelihood that a drug will be
abused in humans, rats are trained to self-administer intravenous doses of
cocaine at will.  Varying the dose of cocaine given to the rats in each
mission leads to a steep dose-response curve for the animal's behavioral
response to the drug and the rate of drug infusion.  In rats subsequently
treated with anti-cocaine antibodies, both the response rate and the infusion
rate decreased, but remain unaffected in rats receiving a control antibody.
    ImmuLogic's cocaine vaccine consists of a cocaine derivative chemically
joined to a vaccine carrier protein.  The vaccine induced high titers of
cocaine-specific antibodies in mice, which persisted for months.  Mice
immunized with the cocaine vaccine and then challenged with the drug showed
decreased levels of cocaine in their brains only 30 seconds after intravenous
administration of the drug.  Repeat administration of cocaine to immunized
mice did not appear to alter the antibody's beneficial effect on cocaine
distribution.
    Anti-cocaine antibodies induced in animals can block the entry of cocaine
into the brain and thus reduce the ability of directly injected cocaine to
increase motor stimulation.  Until now, however, questions remained whether
this approach could reduce drug-seeking behavior and thereby, the drug's
addictive potential.  In addition, it remained unknown until now whether the
antibodies maintained their effect upon repeated cocaine administration.
    ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company,
located in Waltham, Massachusetts, developing peptide therapeutics to treat
allergies and autoimmune diseases.  ALLERVAX(R) products to treat cat and
ragweed allergies are in clinical development.  ImmuLogic's lead autoimmune
candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis is nearing completion of
preclinical development.  In addition to treatments for allergies and
autoimmune diseases, the Company is developing a poison ivy/poison oak
therapeutic and a vaccine to treat cocaine abuse.

Link to this page: