Cocaine Addiction News and Research

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Cocaine dependence (or addiction) is physical and psychological dependency on the regular use of cocaine. It can result in severe physiological damage, psychosis, schizophrenia, lethargy, depression, or a potentially fatal overdose.

Vaccine blocks cocaine high in mice - human trials likely

Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

4 Jan 2011

Lancet editorial highlights similarities between current health challenges, those from 1911

"After a century of progress, the issues that medicine must tackle in the coming year aren't that different from the ones that faced doctors at the start of 1911, according to the observations" published Jan. 1 in a Lancet editorial, LiveScience reports (Parry, 12/30).

4 Jan 2011

Alkermes announces preliminary results from ALKS 33 Phase 2 study in alcohol dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced preliminary results from a phase 2 clinical study of ALKS 33, one of Alkermes' proprietary candidates for the treatment of reward disorders and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The 12-week study was designed to assess the safety and efficacy of daily oral administration of three different dose levels of ALKS 33 compared to placebo in 400 alcohol dependent patients.

9 Dec 2010

Alkermes's ALKS 33 drug candidate offers potential treatment for multiple disease indications

Alkermes, Inc. today announced the presentation of promising preclinical results for its proprietary opioid modulator, ALKS 33, showing the drug candidate's potential in multiple disease indications.

17 Nov 2010

Positive results from Alkermes combination Phase 1 study of ALKS 33 and buprenorphine for cocaine addiction

Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive topline results from a phase 1 clinical study of an investigational combination of ALKS 33, one of Alkermes' proprietary candidates, and buprenorphine, an existing medication for the treatment of opioid addiction, for the treatment of cocaine addiction.

25 Oct 2010

Researchers discover how cocaine corrupts brains' reward center

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive. These findings-the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward-were published in Science on October 15. The results may help researchers in developing new ways of treating those addicted to the drug.

19 Oct 2010

Nicotine reduction strategy should be an urgent research priority

After a major review of scientific information, six leading tobacco research and policy experts have concluded that a nicotine reduction strategy should be an urgent research priority because of its potential to profoundly reduce the death and disease from tobacco use. Their findings were published today in the journal Tobacco Control.

4 Oct 2010

UC researcher receives NIDA’s Avant-Garde Award for cocaine addiction research

A University of Cincinnati (UC) researcher will receive $2.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to support his work on a potential immunotherapy for cocaine addiction.

22 Sep 2010

NIDA's Avant-Garde Awards support novel approaches for treating tobacco and cocaine addiction

A potential immunotherapy, a new gene therapy, an enzyme inhibitor, and a compound originally isolated from a Chinese herb are among the latest approaches scientists are proposing to treat addiction.

22 Sep 2010

NIDA awards 5-year, $3.7M research grant for development of drug to treat cocaine addiction

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy has received a prestigious $3.7 million grant to develop a drug to treat cocaine addiction based on an active ingredient found in some Chinese prescription medicines.

21 Sep 2010

Cocaine use on the rise in Australia

The number of cocaine abuse related arrests has risen in Sydney's CBD and an increasing number of users of the drug are being treated in hospitals. According to the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures arrests for possession and use of the drug have risen by 76.6 per cent in the past two years.

8 Sep 2010

Methylphenidate facilitates recovery from drug addiction

A brain-scanning study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, conducted with collaborators from Stony Brook University, reveals that an oral dose of methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, improves impaired brain function and enhances cognitive performance in people who are addicted to cocaine.

7 Sep 2010

Disulfiram drug effective in treating cocaine addiction: Research

Doctors have used the drug disulfiram to help patients stay sober for several decades. It interferes with the body's ability to metabolize alcohol, giving a fierce hangover to someone who consumes even a small amount of alcohol.More recently, disulfiram was shown to be effective in treating cocaine addiction as well, even though alcohol and cocaine affect the nervous system in different ways.

27 Aug 2010

MeCP2 regulatory protein determines vulnerability to cocaine addiction: Research

A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

16 Aug 2010

Catalyst second-quarter net loss decreases to $1,328,541

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

New findings identify mGlu2/3 receptors as a promising treatment target for cocaine addicts

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain, which has been implicated in drug addiction. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) represent a family of G-protein coupled receptors that modulate glutamate transmission. Glutamate is an important neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory. Today, these receptors are considered to be promising targets for drug discovery, with therapeutic potential to treat various neurological and psychiatric disorders, including drug addiction.

11 Aug 2010

Scientists identify chemical system effective in cocaine-addiction cure

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical system in the brain that reacts differently in cocaine addicts, findings that could result in new treatment options for individuals addicted to the drug."We found that the amount of blood flow in areas of the brain known to be involved in the rewarding effects of cocaine and craving was different in cocaine addicts, compared with healthy subjects," said Dr. Bryon Adinoff, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern and lead author of a study that appeared in Neuropsychopharmacology. "Now we have a new target for pharmacologic intervention."

11 Aug 2010

Catalyst announces $1.5 million registered direct offering

Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to sell 1,351,352 shares of its common stock at a price per share of $1.11 pursuant to a registered direct offering to two large mutual funds, representing gross proceeds of $1.5 million.

7 Aug 2010

Investment report on Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners

MicroStockProfit.com announces an investment report featuring Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners Inc.. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and recent company news that you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

12 Jul 2010

Study: Small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction

A specific and remarkably small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction-and may also protect humans, according to a recent study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health. The study was published today in the journal Nature.

9 Jul 2010