currently studying what may potentially be the most powerful substance for eliminating all traces and effects of cocaine in the body.

Cocaine dependence is presently one of the most common forms of addiction in the US, as shown by increasing number of cocaine-related emergency situations reported around the country. Furthermore, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, around 35.3 million Americans aged 12 and older have used cocaine in 2006.Cocaine addiction is hard to treat and overdoses are quite common. These two problem areas are a group of chemists seek to address with the development of a new drug for cocaine addiction treatment.According the said group, they are currently studying what may potentially be the most powerful substance for eliminating all traces and effects of cocaine in the body. This substance, they also believe, could lead to the formulation of an effective medication drug that would treat addiction and overdose of the common illicit drug. An effective drug for treatment of cocaine addiction is yet to be discovered and the implications of the current study may prove to be a breakthrough if they come out successful.This current study led by Chang-Guo Zhan points to the use of a substance similar to butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) to be the most promising approach to treating cocaine addiction and overdose. According to the researchers, BChE is a “natural blood protein that helps break down and inactivate the drug.” The problem, however, is that natural occurrences of the said substance proves to be too weak and inefficient to be used for medical purposes such as addiction treatment.The researchers sought to overcome the said discrepancy by designing and producing a potent and stable form of BChE. Using this substance they were able to effectively breakdown and metabolize cocaine present in an addicts body. Moreover, the substance they produced was able to process cocaine up to 2,000 times faster than natural BchE. The group noted that this is very promising as anti-cocaine medication because the reduction of the drug levels in the blood and body is key to preventing cocaine overdose.The group also observed that their substance was able to prevent convulsion, and consequently death, when they injected it to mice that were overdosed with cocaine.The full text of the study’s findings is published in the September 24 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.