Anti-Smoking Vaccine To Be Tested In Nordic Countries

Stockholm, Sweden (AHN) - Around 400 people in Nordic countries will get the first shots-literally-of an anti-nicotine vaccine developed by Swedish researchers at the Karolinska Institute. The test run of the vaccine will be conducted over the next year.

According to Lena Wikingsson, head of Independent Pharmaceutica, which is running the experiment, people taking part in the study - heavy smokers who would like to quit - would undergo counselling prior to the treatment. Participants will receive one injection every month for four months.

The anti-smoking vaccine, called Niccine, was developed over a period of 10 years at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden by researchers led by professor Torgny Svensson, who founded Independent Pharmaceutica.

According to the drug manufacturer, Niccine helps the immune system build antibodies against nicotine. If a vaccinated person smokes a cigarette, antibodies created by the vaccine latches on to the incoming nicotine and prevents it from reaching the nerves in the brain, which stops the smoker from getting the "kick" that makes smoking addictive.