http://slyoyster.com

Science may finally have found a way to cure the addiction of smoking through a new vaccine. 

Nabi’s experimental vaccine, a decade in the works, tries a more direct approach: It shuts down nicotine’s access to the brain. Smokers may light up a cigarette while on NicVax, but if the drug works as intended, they won’t feel any of the stimulating effects they crave from nicotine.

NicVax causes the immune system to create antibodies that bond with the nicotine molecule if it enters the bloodstream. The result is a molecule too large to pass along to the brain. In short, the vaccine seeks to make the body immune to nicotine.

If smokers can’t get a buzz from lighting up a cigarette, the thinking goes, there’s no reason for them to continue the habit. Since the antibodies created by NicVax stay in the body for a long period of time, the chances of a smoker quickly returning to the habit are low.

Interesting.  I would think this would work well for people who really want to quit, really heavy smokers, except you’ve got to wonder about withdrawals and those people who aren’t heavy smokers but smoke for a quick buzz and to look cool, well, this probably serves little purpose.