http://goo.gl/SyvSuH
Currently cocaine is the only illicit drug in the U.S. that does not have a long-term preventive treatment option approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration—scientists have tried for years to find or develop one but until now, those efforts have come up short. In this new effort, the researchers began with cocaine hydrolase enzymes, because prior studies have shown they can prevent the high associated with cocaine use—its limiting factor was that it would not remain in the body long enough to serve as a reasonable thereby treatment. The group's idea was to add another element to the enzymes to cause them to hang around longer. After much work, the team settled on human immunoglobulin G antibodies, because they are known to remain in the body for periods of time long enough to be useful as a treatment option. To make the new treatment, the researchers fused the enzymes with the antibodies to produce a therapy that would offer the benefits of both.
Testing of the new compound showed that the treatment could remain in the body of rats for up to 107 hours, whereas Cocaine hydrolase enzymes alone would last for only 8 hours. Further testing showed that in addition to preventing the rats from feeling the effects of cocaine, a single dose of the treatment also prevented the rats from suffering a lethal overdose.
The team explains that the new compound works by breaking down the cocaine metabolites, which prevents the rats from feeling the effects of cocaine administration—for up to 20 days. They note also that because of differences in metabolism, the same treatment would have to be administered to a human being every two to four weeks to be effective.