A fentanyl vaccine is about to get its first major test
Just a tiny amount of fentanyl, the equivalent of a few grains of sand, is enough to stop a personβs breathing. The synthetic opioid is tasteless, odorless, and invisible when mixed with other substances, and drug users are often unaware of its presence.
Itβs why biotech entrepreneur Collin Gage is aiming to protect people against the drugβs lethal effects. In 2023, he became the cofounder and CEO of ARMR Sciences to develop a vaccine against fentanyl. Now, the company is launching a trial to test its vaccine in people for the first time. The goal: prevent deaths from overdose.
βIt became very apparent to me that as I assessed the treatment landscape, everything that exists is reactionary,β Gage says. βI thought, why are we not preventing this?β


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