The development of opioid vaccines as a novel strategy for the treatment of opioid use disorder and overdose prevention.

ABSTRACT: Opioid use disorder (OUD) affects over 40 million people worldwide, creating significant social and economic burdens. Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is often considered the primary treatment approach for OUD. MOUD, including methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone, is effective for some, but its benefits may be limited by poor adherence to treatment recommendations. Immunopharmacotherapy offers an innovative approach by using vaccines to generate antibodies that neutralize opioids, blocking them from crossing the blood-brain barrier and reducing their psychoactive effects. To date, only 3 clinical trials for opioid vaccines have been published. While these studies demonstrated the potential of opioid vaccines for relapse prevention, there is currently no standardized protocol f

SUBMITTER: Tuncturk M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11792077 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature