Columbia University professor Sandra Comer said on Wednesday that she and her colleagues are currently testing a vaccine that could help fight the opioid epidemic by targeting oxycodone medication.
In an interview with CBS News, Comer said that the vaccine is being tested on volunteers with substance use disorder.
The Columbia professor also said that "the body will produce an antibody to that particular chemical structure" and that the antibody won't allow oxycodone to enter the brain. She added that the vaccine would provide a "safety net" for those who relapse.
Regarding opioid addiction, a jury found last month that the Israel-based drugmaker Teva had fueled the opioid epidemic in New York. Following the ruling, the company's shares fell more than seven percentage points.
Teva later released an official statement saying that the state and counties present "no evidence of medically unnecessary prescriptions, [or] suspicious or diverted orders."
The CDC reports that a minimum of 100,000 people in the United States died of a drug overdose between May 2020 and May 2021.
Reuters contributed to this report.