A new vaccine has been developed by The Scripps Research Institute in California that will prevent fentanyl addiction and overdose. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid or painkiller that is 50 to 500 times more powerful than morphine, depending on the formulation. It is made in illegal labs by drug dealers who change the molecular structure of fentanyl to try and confuse the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Some of the street names for this drug are acetyl fentanyl and China White. The CDC has stated that opioid overdose deaths have doubles from 2000 to 2014, mainly because of the easy availability of opioids. Some of the effects of this drug include sleepiness, lethargy, euphoria, and tolerance. The new vaccine is able to mimic the core structure of fentanyl and neutralizes it. By blocking the feelings of euphoria, users won’t want to take it anymore. Unlike the overdose drugs methadone and naloxone, fentanyl is expected to have a higher rate of success and a lower relapse ratio. For now, the vaccine can block most fentanyl derivatives without affecting the use of other medicine so a person can still take painkillers to treat chronic pain but will just have to make sure it does not contain fentanyl. The researchers are hoping to develop stronger vaccines next that will fight heroin addiction and any combination of heroin and fentanyl.
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By None An increase in deaths from illegal drug overdose in the US has been linked to synthetic opioids. A new vaccine appears to curb overdose and addiction in users of fentanyl. …read more 
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