MDMA, the stimulant mood-lifting drug commonly known as ecstasy, could soon transition from party staple to FDA-approved medication — but likely with tight control measures to address its abuse potential and safety risks. On Tuesday, the nonprofit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) filed an application seeking FDA approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress…
More than a century after its synthesis, MDMA could be headed for FDA approval for PTSD
First synthesized in 1912 by Merck, the empathogenic drug 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is inching toward FDA approval following the positive results of a phase 3 study. The recently concluded phase 3 study, MAPP2, published in Nature Medicine, found that MDMA-assisted therapy significantly outperforms traditional talk therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms. Participants receiving MDMA-AT had an 86.5%…