Invest 10 million USD to develop a vaccine to prevent drug addiction

The vaccine was developed by a research team at the University of Houston, with the goal of preventing fentanyl from entering the brain, eliminating the feeling of drug intoxication. With the new investment, Ovax will enter clinical trials in early 2025. If successful, Ovax will contribute to preventing relapse and be useful for people suffering from drug addiction or drug overdose.

In addition to the University of Houston, the company is in talks with several other research groups involved in researching methods to block the effects of opioids, with the aim of commercializing their scientific work.

The Ovax vaccine was announced in November 2022 and was funded by the US government. The initial investment for research was more than $760,000. In animal testing, the vaccine reduced dependence on potentially addictive opioid painkillers, but did not cause serious side effects.

Specific anti-fentanyl antibodies help the body not feel euphoric and increase alertness after using the drug. The vaccine also does not cross-react with other opioids. A person who has been injected with Ovax can still be treated with other opioids for pain, such as morphine.

Fentanyl is a cheap synthetic opioid commonly added to illegal and counterfeit drugs. It is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine, and can cause death with a dose equivalent to five grains of salt.

In the United States, the opioid crisis has been on the rise since 2021. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 100,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2021. Fentanyl poisoning is the leading cause of death among people aged 18-45. It is estimated that synthetic opioids containing fentanyl will cause an average of 204 deaths per day in 2023.

US officials have provided millions of dollars in funding to scientists, including $14.8 million for research on monoclonal antibodies that target fentanyl. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also approved clinical trials of a vaccine to block oxycodone (a prescription painkiller that contains narcotics).

After a long time, no method has been successful and commercialized. The reason is that research costs are expensive, not including the cost of bringing it to market. Not to mention that new synthetic drugs appear too quickly. Drug use habits of addicts are difficult to change.