Watertown Company Developing Medication to Combat Nicotine Addiction

A Watertown company is among two businesses in Massachusetts working to develop a medication that can help treat the increasing problems associated with drug addiction.

The Boston Herald reported that Watertown's Selecta Bioscience has developed a drug called SEL-068 that is focused on fighting nicotine addiction.

According to the Boston Herald article, there are currently 22 drugs in development nationwide that are aimed at fighting addiction.

The other company working on an addiction fighting drug in Massachusetts is Embera NeuroTherapeutics in Sudbury, focusing on cocaine and nicotine addiction.

“There’s no approved treatment for cocaine dependence, so there’s a big, big need there,” said Embera CEO Bob Linke, according to the Boston Herald. “When you’re addicted to a drug and trying to quit ... your stress-response system is activated, driving your craving for the drug. Our drug tries to modulate that stress response.”

Click here to read the Boston Herald story in its entirety.