Genetically Engineered Virus Reduces Cocaine Cravings

[Bill Stewart]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3825177.stm

The Beeb's got a story about a virus that reduces
the effects of cocaine in rats, being better at getting
appropriate proteins to appropriate parts of the brain.
The news story talks about the potential for use in treatment
(says it's way too early to tell,
and says that addictive behaviours are psychologically complex
so they can't predict if addicts would just switch to
other drugs if the virus makes coke not work for them,
but that's the kind of thing people in the treatment biz say),
but the parts of the story that talk about what the virus
actually does talk about reduction in the direct effects of
cocaine on rat behaviour, not the effects on withdrawal.

Meanwhile, Dept of Homeland Security is pricing syringes...




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Bill Stewart  bill.stewart at pobox.com