Meet NicVax, the opposite of the cool kids at the bus stop in 7th grade who got you to try a cigarette for the first time.

The Washington Post reports the would-be wonder vaccine from Nabi Biopharmaceuticals is close to being picked up by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

Reporter Mike Musgrove writes:

For many years, the standard treatment for breaking a smoker’s dependence on nicotine has been patches or gum that contain declining dosages of the substance in an effort to wean addicts off their dependence.

Nabi’s experimental vaccine, a decade in the works, tries a more direct approach: It shuts down nicotine’s access to the brain. Smokers may light up a cigarette while on NicVax, but if the drug works as intended, they won’t feel any of the stimulating effects they crave from nicotine.

I think I might buy some of this stuff and use it to inject bothersome smokers at random. Smokers, how much would you pay to be able to needle your way out of your habit?

Smoking vaccine takes new approach [Washington Post, via The Awl]

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