Anti-Smoking Injection Shows Promise

A vaccine designed to keep nicotine from reaching the brain may help people quit smoking.

The Associated Press reports that a preliminary study of 301 longtime smokers found that recipients of Nabi Pharmaceutical's NicVAX were more than twice as likely to quit smoking as people who got a placebo.

However, "twice as likely" is a loaded number: 15 percent compared to 6 percent. That's good, but not great -- and nearly a third of trial participants dropped out. On the other hand, the production of anti-nicotine antibodies correlated with reduced cigarette use, and even people who didn't quit still smoked less.

The WiSci verdict: promising, but there's a long way to go.