NIDA Funds Research on Cocaine Addiction Drug

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has agreed to fund a midstage clinical trial of a cocaine-addiction drug called vigabatrin, produced by Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.

The Associated Press reported April 13 that NIDA will fund a second series of tests after a first clinical trial failed to find that the drug, CPP-109, had any effect on cocaine or methamphetamine users. Catalyst blamed the poor results on lack of compliance by study participants and said other findings indicated that the drug still has promise for treating cocaine addiction.

NIDA will pay $10 million for the new study, which will include 200 subjects. Catalyst will pay $2.8 million.