A potential vaccine for cocaine abuse prophylaxis?

Abstract

O. Bagasra, L.J. Forman, A. Howeedy, and P.A. Whittle recently conveyed the preparation of a cocaine immunogen that is a potential vaccine for cocaine abuse prophylaxis (Immunopharmacology: 1992, 23, 173-179). These investigators claim to have prepared a cocaine immunogen via reaction of cocaine with sodium metaperiodate followed by carrier protein, and to have generated anti-cocaine antibodies by using this immunogen. Periodate is used to conjugate haptens that contain a vicinal diol (or similar) group to carrier proteins and would not be expected to couple cocaine to protein. The authors of the above publication reported titres for antibodies generated by using their immunogen, but did not describe competitive inhibition of antibody binding by cocaine and did not report the specificity characteristics of their antibodies. The present author is not convinced by the claims made by Bagasra et al.