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Researchers develop anti-nicotine addiction drugs

pharmafile | August 28, 2018 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing addiction, candidates, drug, nicotine, research, washington state university 

Washington State University researchers have developed an array of drug candidates which they believe may help tackle addiction to nicotine.

The drugs, outlined in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, target CYP2A6, a liver enzyme which metabolises nicotine. The researchers aim to slow the process through which nicotine is metabolised by inhibiting CYP2A6. As such nicotine would last longer in the body and thus people would experience fewer cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

One of the researchers Dr Philip Lazurus explained that “Nicotine in the body will get metabolized and excreted and it can be a fast turnover in some people. What we are trying to do is prevent the turnover and metabolism of it.”

However blocking the enzyme CYP2A6 is in many ways the easy part. Making sure the inhibitor doesn’t interfere with other processes is much harder. As such with over 600 possible inhibitors the process became one of trial and error as candidates which affected other processes were gradually excluded. Nevertheless the researchers were able to narrow the list of potential candidates to just 18 different compounds.

Travis Denton, a former tobacco chewer who led the study commented: “I quit cold turkey and I know how hard it is. Would this have helped? I believe so, because again, the people who want to quit, really want to quit,” he said. “They just can’t because it’s too doggone hard. Imagine if you could take this pill and your jitters don’t come on as fast — it’s just super reinforcing to help you quit”

Once the drug candidates are verified as safe by the FDA, clinical trials can begin.

Louis Goss

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