SAN DIEGO - As the opioid crisis continues to be a major problem in San Diego, a group of researchers hope a vaccine could be the answer.
Kim Janda, PhD, and his team at Scripps Research are working on a shot that could help counteract the effects of the drug.
"The vaccines basically block the drug from getting into the brain, or the vaccines can draw the drug out of the brain," Janda told NBC 7.
The vaccines that Janda and his team are working on include one that would be taken as a series of shots. Another would be a one-time shot for those who overdose.
The San Diego County Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force and Meth Strike Force recently released a report which shows 2021 as the deadliest year for drug overdose deaths. 873 people in San Diego County died from unintentional opioid overdoses last year, a 320 percent increase from 2017.