The vaccination felt like most others — a slight pinprick in M.’s upper arm, followed by the application of a Band-Aid and advice to monitor the injection site for any unusual reactions.
The vaccine, however, is unlike any other. It’s not meant to protect against the coronavirus, or any germ, for that matter.
It is meant to protect against a deadly opioid overdose.
The trial — the first to test the safety and potential effectiveness of an opioid vaccine in humans — is being led by Sandra Comer, a professor of neurobiology in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Marco Pravetoni, of the University of Minnesota Medical School.
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All of the participants, including M., are in active phases of addiction and are being housed at Columbia or another clinic for 10 weeks during the study.
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If it ultimately proves to be effective, an opioid vaccine would be an “important and lifesaving option,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “We need as many effective tools as possible to accelerate our ability to prevent and treat opioid use disorder and overdose.”
