To deal with a worsening mental health crisis in the U.S., the FDA is reportedly considering approving 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and psilocybin within the next two years, according to a letter from a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published by The Intercept. MDMA could be authorized as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, while…
10 emerging antidepressants to keep an eye on
Antidepressants remain some of the most widely prescribed drugs, but most popular antidepressants are now available as generics. While selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) remain the most commonly prescribed antidepressants, various new types of drugs may be available in the future. For example, drug companies are working on…
Compass Pathways names Big Pharma veteran as new CEO
Psilocybin-focused mental health company Compass Pathways (Nasdaq:CMPS) has seen its share price steadily decline since late last year. In early November, 2021, its share price flirted with reaching $50 per share. On July 18, CMPS shares closed at $13.02. Today, however, the shares were up 6% in mid-day trading, hovering around $13.80, after the company…
Clairvoyant begins Phase 2 psilocybin study for alcohol use disorder
Clairvoyant Therapeutics, a Canadian drug developer, has initiated the first of 15 planned sites for the Phase 2 CLARITY clinical study investigating the use of magic mushroom molecule psilocybin to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD). The randomized, placebo-controlled study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of 25 mg of synthetic psilocybin with Motivational Enhancement Therapy…
How Cybin aims to maximize the potential of two classical psychedelics
Classical psychedelics can be agents of chaos. In sufficient doses, they can trigger experiences of ego death or dissolution, as researchers have noted since the 1960s. Psychedelics can also help promote neural plasticity and uproot negative patterns to treat challenging-to-treat mental health disorders. FDA has acknowledged the potential of psilocybin for mental health by twice granting Breakthrough…
How psychedelics could address unmet need in mental health
Interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics is booming, given their therapeutic potential for treating depression and other conditions. It is telling that psychedelics were among the hottest topics at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting this year in Davos, Switzerland, prompting mockery from late-night comics. Although the field remains embryonic, part of the reason for the…
Psilocybin holds therapeutic promise — but tapping its potential could be a challenge
A growing number of small studies indicate that psilocybin, a psychoactive compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms, holds promise for treating depression, addiction and anxiety. But while traditional psychedelics like psilocybin may have broad potential, making effective therapeutic use of them at scale is likely to be challenging in the near term, said psilocybin advocate Derek Chase,…
Psilocybin lit up the brains of people with severe depression in small study
A British study enrolling 43 people with severe depression found that the magic mushroom compound psilocybin bested the antidepressant Lexapro (escitalopram). The blinded study published in Nature tracked patients’ symptoms and used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the brain’s metabolic function. Those who received psilocybin showed significant and sustained reductions in depressive symptoms, while fMRI…
Ninth Circuit tosses psilocybin case for lack of jurisdiction
A three-judge panel on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to hear a lawsuit filed by Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, a hospice physician, and two cancer patients who sought psilocybin, a Schedule I drug, to treat anxiety and depression in terminally ill patients. Aggarwal’s employer, the Advanced Integrative Medical Sciences (AIMS) Institute, had sought…
Why Tryp Therapeutics is exploring the use of psilocybin to treat chronic pain
Many researchers are exploring the potential of the psychedelic compound psilocybin to treat conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. But psilocybin offers broader therapeutic promise as it appears to spur neuroplasticity, according to Greg McKee, CEO of Tryp Therapeutics (San Diego). The company is exploring the use of psilocybin-based drugs for treating eating disorders…
Tryp Therapeutics announces research alliance with the University of Michigan
La Jolla, Calif.–based Tryp (CSE: TRYP) is tapping the University of Michigan to test its TRP-8803 drug formulation against traditional oral formulations of synthetic psilocybin. The psilocybin-based drug developer will also work with the university to compare TRP-8803 with conventional formulations of synthetic psilocybin. In particular, the university will perform pharmacokinetic analysis for blood samples…
Psilocybin narrowly beat Lexapro in small depression study
The magic mushroom compound psilocybin appeared to be slightly more effective than the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor escitalopram (Lexapro) in a small study recently published in NEJM. In the Phase 2 study, which tracked 59 patients over six weeks, the psilocybin group had an approximately 8-point average drop in the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (Self-Report) questionnaire…