Potential New Vaccine Blocks Fentanyl’s Deadly Effects, Say Researchers

More than 81,000 people died in 2023 due to synthetic opioid overdose, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 75,000 of those deaths were due to illicit fentanyl.
Early results suggest that their method, a vaccine, not only accomplishes that goal but also eliminates fentanyl’s lethality in the vaccinated. Those potentially targeted for the vaccine include those in rehabilitation clinics, as well as first responders and teenagers, who are at risk of accidental exposure.
“About seven years ago, it became very clear that fentanyl was becoming a huge problem,” Haile told The Epoch Times.
Haile was the study’s lead author.
Thanks to positive results and a lack of adverse side effects in the immunized rats, human clinical trials are projected to start in early 2025.
Moreover, because of how opioids like fentanyl affect the brain—they activate the mesolimbic system (a reward and conditioned association), which releases dopamine, triggering pleasurable feelings—such drugs have been found to be difficult to recover from.
“We have indicated medications for Opioid Use Disorder, and we have rescue agents for overdose, but they’re not working for us,” Haile said.
“We need a different treatment strategy, and this vaccine technology is a different strategy completely.”
Explaining how the vaccine addresses fentanyl’s deadly effects, Haile said: “Fentanyl inhibits, at higher levels, the circuits involved in breathing, the inspiratory neurons in the base of the brain.
“There’s also a syndrome called wooden chest syndrome, and it causes intercostal rigidity, and you can’t move your chest, so you can’t move your diaphragm, so you can’t get oxygen into your blood.
“And then eventually, the individual develops what’s called hypoxemia—lack of oxygen in the blood—and then, unfortunately, they succumb.”
Haile said his vaccine is the furthest one along.
Additionally, because his vaccine relies on previously developed ingredients, Haile believes it has a good chance of passing clinical trials.
“Part of our vaccine is already in multiple vaccines on the market, and it’s called the carrier protein, CRM197.
“The other part of the vaccine is an adjuvant that increases antibody production. It’s called dmLT and was originally developed at Tulane University by Dr. Elizabeth Norton.
“It’s been in 15 human clinical trials and will probably be on the market very soon, in combination with another vaccine,” Haile said.
“And then the other part of our vaccine is basically the backbone of the fentanyl molecule itself, and that’s linked to the carrier protein. And so that’s what we want antibodies to be generated against; is that fentanyl backbone and that part of the vaccine is called a Hapten.”
Haile explained that in his study, rats received an initial vaccination and boosters at three and six weeks. Human vaccination would likely follow a similar trajectory of three vaccines.
“In the study, we gave a high dose of fentanyl to the unvaccinated and vaccinated rats, and then took blood samples in the brains, and we assessed simple levels in both.
“And what we show in the manuscript is that we prevent 90 plus percent of fentanyl from getting into the brain in both male and female rats. And again, that’s the primary mechanism of action of how the vaccine works,” he said.
If phase one goes well, the next step is phase two, which also tests safety but across a much wider scale of hundreds of people.
Phase three would follow, and that, according to Haile, involves efficacy.
Haile explained that despite popular belief, fentanyl doesn’t absorb through the skin unless it is manufactured in a way that allows it to cross the skin. However, accidental exposure can still occur.
“We had a couple of police officers in Dallas who were investigating a crime scene, and they had gloves on, but it was a hot day, and both of them wiped their faces. And essentially, the fentanyl got into their system when they wiped their faces. It’s rare, but that is a possibility,” he said.
“Now the other interesting population is, I’ve been contacted by numerous parents that are absolutely terrified of their kids being poisoned by fentanyl because they know that they’re either experimenting with drugs in college, for example, or they’re buying drugs off the Darknet, such as ADHD medications, anti-anxiety medications, or analgesics such as oxycodone.
“And these are fake medications, and many of them contain deadly levels of fentanyl.”
“Matthew died of fentanyl poisoning in 2020, in July. He was 20 years old,” Thomas told The Epoch Times.
“He took what was supposed to be Percocet, and it was fentanyl.”
Young people must be made aware of the danger, she concluded.
“I decided to go ahead and focus on high schools. I’ve been to several high schools in North Carolina, and the biggest thing that surprises me is that most of them have not even heard of illicit fentanyl,” she said.
“I thought maybe if Matthew had heard about it sooner …” she said before trailing off.
“Fentanyl has been found in cocaine. It’s been found in methamphetamine. It’s been found in heroin. It’s even been found in marijuana, believe it or not, which is crazy,” Haile said.
“What we’re trying to do is save lives. And so, if it can save lives, I’m all for it.”
And while many of the volunteers expressed enthusiasm for the vaccine, especially parents who’d lost children due to overdose, some volunteers voiced concern.
“For example, thimerosal is a fairly commonly [added substance in vaccines], now people are understanding that asking for a thimerosal-free vaccine might make the difference between them accepting a vaccine or not.
“There are many different side effects that vaccines can have.”
In 2022, Weitzman conducted a similar study with 64 volunteers that revealed generally positive attitudes towards a fentanyl vaccine, with some expressing concern.
In both studies, Weitzman concluded that effective communication would be crucial for the acceptance of a fentanyl vaccine.