heroin vaccine

The **heroin vaccine** is an investigational immunotherapy designed to treat or prevent opioid use disorder by inducing the immune system to produce antibodies that bind heroin and its psychoactive metabolites, preventing them from crossing the blood-brain barrier and reducing their effects on the central nervous system. These vaccines are typically composed of a heroin-like hapten chemically conjugated to an immunogenic carrier protein (such as tetanus toxoid or keyhole limpet hemocyanin [KLH]), often formulated with adjuvants like Army Liposome Formulation (ALF) or alum/CpG to enhance antibody response. The mechanism is to sequester heroin and/or its active metabolites (such as 6-acetylmorphine and morphine) in the bloodstream, thereby blunting heroin’s ability to induce euphoria, reinforcing effects, and relapse. Several versions and formulations are under preclinical and early clinical investigation, with efforts led by academic and military research teams. The most advanced studies have shown efficacy in animals and are entering early human trials for opioid use disorder and prevention of heroin overdose.

Other names

heroin conjugate vaccineheroin-KLH vaccinemorphine/heroin vaccineheavy heroin vaccineheroin-TT vaccineMorHap-TT vaccine