Vaccine Could Breakthrough the Fentanyl Crisis in Oregon and Other U.S. States

By Lucille McNamara On Sep 3, 2024

Scientists are pinning their hopes on a vaccine to provide a breakthrough in the fentanyl addiction crisis sweeping the nation. The vaccine could go to clinical trial as early as the middle of 2025 and is under development by researchers at the University of Houston.

Fentanyl Vaccine by The Biopharmaceutical Startup Ovax

Oregon ranks highly as a fentanyl addiction and overdose death rate U.S. state, with the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s office placing the death rate at than two a day. The Examiner’s office reveals that the death rate was 70 in April, 75 in May, and 70 in June.

A biopharmaceutical startup, Ovax, is licensed to produce and test the vaccine and has recorded success at animal trials. Researchers say the vaccine will stop fentanyl from entering the brain and causing overdoses. The company has raised $10 million for the fentanyl vaccine project.

The startup is considering clinical trial sites in the Netherlands and Australia and will be using patients with a history of drug abuse to participate. The trials will test optimal dosage, potential side effects, and safety levels.

Although fentanyl is an illegal synthetic opioid it is available on prescription. The opioid is 100 times more powerful than morphine, and 50 times more potent than heroin, qualifying as the deadliest drug in the country.

Unlike viruses or bacteria, immune systems do not recognize opioids as foreign invaders. However, with the intervention of the vaccine, immune systems are trained to produce antibodies to fight fentanyl.

The vaccine uses substances called adjuvants that are being tested successfully in animal studies. The vaccine could be ready for testing in Phase One medical trials by early 2026.

Oregon’s Staggering Fentanyl Death by Overdose Rate

Oregon has earned the dubious reputation of the biggest increase in fentanyl overdose deaths. The 1,500% increase since 2019 is the largest in the United States, according to federal data.

Read: Jackson County Opioid Overdoses Surge: Alert Issued

An estimated 1,268 people lost their lives in Oregon last year after overdosing on the inexpensive and powerful opioid. Most fentanyl is produced in China and Mexico before it is smuggled into the U.S.

Oregon also topped the charts in 2022 after recording the highest percentage increase in death by fentanyl overdose.

The statistics have been described as ‘staggering’ by Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran.

Oregon Has the 17^th Highest Death by Fentanyl Rate in the U.S.

Fentanyl, more than any other drug, now accounts for the largest death rate by overdose in Oregon. Last year, Oregon recorded the 17th-highest death in the U.S. with 30 fatalities from fentanyl overdose for every 100,000 people. Oregon’s ranking shot up to 36th out of the 39 states plagued by the same crisis.

The opioid has wreaked havoc in Oregon, prompting political promises to take measures to quell the crisis. Last month, state and local officials joined forces to declare a 90-day fentanyl crisis in central Portland. The intervention was intended to cut through bureaucratic red tape and to accelerate access to help centers by drug users.

Users experience a high with only a small dose of fentanyl, while fatal overdoses also require only a relatively small amount of the opioid. While some drug users deliberately seek out fentanyl, others ingest the drug unknowingly when it is mixed into heroin or a non-opioid substance like methamphetamine.

Oregon is in a State of Crisis

The director of Oregon Recovers, Mike Marshall, described the fentanyl statistics as ‘a dramatic increase,’ highlighting that Oregon is in a state of crisis. While Oregon’s fentanyl death rate may have been dramatic, state health officials point out that Oregon’s overall rate remains relatively in line compared to most of the country.

An Oregon Health Authority epidemiologist, Dr. Tom Jeanne, says fentanyl first made its appearance several years earlier in eastern states. He explains that because fentanyl is usually in powder form, it is easier to mix with powdered heroin commonly found in the eastern states of the country. Dr. Jeanne says it is more difficult to mix fentanyl with heroin available on the West Coast, known as “black tar.”

He says the explosion of fentanyl on the Oregon market was exacerbated by the pandemic when people were living in isolation and access to treatment was severely reduced.

Oregon has been widely criticized for adopting Measure 110, the law that decriminalized drug possession and intended to improve access to treatment. Measure 110 is now generally viewed as a failure.

Dr. Jeane says no timeline has been established for when or if deaths by fentanyl overdose will stop increasing in Oregon. However, he points out that there are treatment options available to drug users seeking to quit fentanyl.

The Takeaway

Oklahoma follows Oregon in the largest percentage increase category from 2019 to 2023, where an estimated 717 people died of fentanyl overdose last year compared to 67 people five years earlier. Washington state claimed fourth position, with the overdose death rate climbing to 2,653, an increase of nearly nine-fold in five years.

The 10 states with the highest increases were all west of the Mississippi River. The exception was Washington state, with 34 fentanyl overdose deaths per 100,000 people.

Fentanyl