"On June 11, 2018, seeking relief from chronic pancreatitis pain, Ashley Romero took what she believed to be half a pill of Percocet. Within minutes, she was dead. The pill, which Romero's boyfriend had acquired on the black market, was packed with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be fatal in doses the size of a dozen grains of salt. Romero left behind a then seven-year-old son."
"Recently Romero has taken interest in an emerging innovation: an antifentanyl vaccine. Developed by academic researchers with Department of Defense funding and licensed by biotech company ARMR Sciences, this vaccine will be tested in humans for the first time beginning in January or February. If it works to keep the deadly molecule out of the brain, the hope is that it can prevent fentanyl overdoseand deliberate use."
On June 11, 2018, Ashley Romero died after taking half a pill of Percocet adulterated with fentanyl, which can be fatal in tiny doses. Her death and her boyfriend's subsequent suicide propelled Andrea Thomas to become an antifentanyl advocate, promoting education about how fentanyl contaminates the drug supply and measures to curb precursor chemical flows from overseas. An antifentanyl vaccine developed by academic researchers with Department of Defense funding and licensed to ARMR Sciences will begin human testing in January or February. The vaccine aims to block fentanyl from entering the brain to prevent overdoses and deliberate use, offering an alternative to stigmatized medications for substance use disorders.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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