Participants in a Phase 2a trial of a single‐dose psychedelic in combination with cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) for alcohol use disorder (AUD) used terms such as “cleansing” and “rebirth” to describe the impact of their study experience. All but two of the study's 10 interviewed participants reported eliminating or reducing drinking over a 12‐week follow‐up, though several described their...
A team of researchers in Connecticut is advancing inquiry into the potential of psychedelics in mental health treatment through an ongoing study involving patients with complex conditions. A psilocybin trial that initially recruited military veterans, first responders and health care workers has shown promising results and is being expanded to include a broader population.
A U.S. House member from Arizona has introduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to report on emerging evidence which suggests that psychedelic drugs can benefit military veterans with treatment‐resistant post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh introduced the bill after visiting a nonprofit research lab in Arizona that is conducting the first federally...
A new executive order from the White House could jump‐start additional research and new approvals of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of serious mental illness (SMI). Among its provisions, the April 18 order directs federal agencies to expedite reviews of products that have successfully completed Phase 3 trials, so that they can be more rapidly rescheduled from their current Schedule I (no...
This month's announcement of up to $285 million in private placement financing for a leading developer of psychedelic drug therapies signals an important validation of this drug sector's role in mental health treatment, the biotechnology company's CEO told MHW last week.
A newly published study offers support for another viable treatment option for patients with an anxiety disorder who hesitate to take medication or aren't a good candidate for psychotherapy. The study found that eight weeks of a structured mindfulness‐based intervention was noninferior to eight weeks of anti‐depressant treatment in reducing anxiety symptoms.
With nicotine being one of the most addictive substances and the available treatments for nicotine addiction leading to no better than a 30% success rate, it's no wonder that a newly announced multisite study of the psychedelic psilocybin for smoking cessation is generating excitement. While taking care not to oversell the potential of this strategy, those involved with the research hope at...