Fentanyl Vaccine Begins Trial in Effort to Prevent Overdoses

Like a flu shot, the idea is to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies.

Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Biotech startup ARMR Sciences Inc. said it has begun a human trial of its anti-fentanyl vaccine in an early study that could one day lead to a inoculation offering months-long protection from the deadly respiratory effects of the powerful synthetic opioid.

The trial is the culmination of years of research. It aims to show that a vaccine, unlike existing emergency remedies, could prevent a fentanyl overdose from ever happening.