In a major shift away from decades of stigma, the FDA has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to MindMed‘s MM120, an LSD-based treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This milestone not only underscores the growing recognition of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics but also could point to a potential turning point for the struggling psychedelic sector…

Phase 2b data from MindMed’s LSD-based therapy adds to the mounting evidence that psychedelic-assisted therapies could treat mental health conditions like anxiety, depression and PTSD. In particular, the study found statistically significant dose-dependent improvements in the Hamilton Anxiety rating scale (HAM-A)  at the 100 and 200 μg dose levels in the four-week study. Similarly, recent…

Evidence continues to build that serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, DMT, and LSD promote neuroplasticity. Cortical atrophy is involved in the development of a broad swathe of neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from depression to substance use disorder. But it remains unclear how psychedelics may potentially treat mood disorders and other conditions. Despite their therapeutic potential, these…

Decades after compounds like LSD and psilocybin were made illegal , psychedelic medicine appears poised to go mainstream in the coming years, potentially treating conditions ranging from anxiety to PTSD. In the interim, however, hurdles remain. The American Psychiatry Association (APA) recently released a conservative position statement on psychedelics and empathogens such as MDMA. In…

The synthetics biology company CB Therapeutics recently named Tiffany Hurd as its new business development lead. At Carlsbad, California-based CB Therapeutics, Hurd will focus on creating business partnerships with companies in the psychedelic, cannabinoid and food tech industries.  In May, CB Therapeutics won a patent covering the use of microorganisms to produce psychedelic tryptamines and…

The U.S. has perhaps never been more divided than it is today. Americans are divided over politics and myriad social issues, COVID-19, climate change, immigration and seemingly everything else.  Not surprisingly, opinions also diverge on whether psychedelic drugs have therapeutic potential. Earlier this year, a survey from The Harris Poll found that 65% of Americans with anxiety,…

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…

The psychoactive compound 5-methoxy-2-aminoindane (MEAI) is unique among psychedelics with therapeutic potential.  First, the drug could be self-administered. Second, it is patented, unlike psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine. And while psychedelic drug developers tend to focus on indications such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, MEAI could potentially treat alcoholism.  MEAI…

Demand for ketamine has surged in recent years with growing interest in its off-label use for treating depression, anxiety and PTSD. Ketamine has “shown to be very effective,” said Linnea Butler, founder and CEO of Bay Area Mental Health (Campbell, California), which recently began offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. Also this week, Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. (NSDQ:KTTA), announced…

PurMinds believes psychedelics hold promise for neurological conditions Interest in psychedelics has ratched up in recent years and a growing number of drug companies are beginning to explore their potential to treat everything from depression to neurodegeneration. “It is a really really exciting time,” said Aron Buchman, chief strategy officer, PurMinds BioPharma, which is exploring…

Privately-held PurMinds BioPharma (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) recently announced an investment in the psychedelic drug company IMIO Life Ltd., a subsidiary of Tel Aviv–based Nextage Therapeutics Ltd. (TASE:NXTG). Nextage Therapeutics is itself a division of the pharmaceutical company Nextar Chempharma Solutions (Ness Ziona, Israel). We reached out to PurMinds’ chief strategy and financial officer, Aron Buchman,…

Intelligence Squared, the organizers of a popular debate series, recently asked a panel of experts whether psychedelics should be legalized. There was considerable overlap between the factions arguing in favor and opposition of that motion, reflecting the growing interest in psychedelic compounds for therapeutic applications. But the two camps were split when it came to…