If you've ever tried to give up smoking, you know how hard it can be. Someone who has never smoked cannot understand how tough it is.
Nicotine gum....the nicotine patch....hypnosis....the buddy system...cold turkey. How many ways can there be to kick the habit?
Maybe we can add one more: a vaccine.
Health experts tell us that half a million Americans die every year from complications due to smoking.
Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institute on Drug Abuse says so many people have quit...for a while. "Seventy percent of these individuals that want to stop smoking, relapse within a one year period."
But Dr. Volkow sees some hope in a new vaccine from Nabi Biopharmaceuticals. Her institute gave Nabi ten million dollars for more research.
The vaccine is called Nicvax and it's designed to prevent nictotine from reaching your brain. Without nicotine in the brain, the smoker fails to enjoy the "high" that causes addiction.
Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has been testing several different vaccines and a third of those tested managed to quit.
More trials have begun and a thousand volunteers are trying Nicvax across the country.
Imagine, a shot at the doctor's office and you've kicked the habit.
