Implementing psychedelic-assisted therapy: History and characteristics of the Swiss limited medical use program
Matthias E. Liechti, Peter Gasser, Helena Aicher, Felix Mueller, Tadeusz Hawrot, Yasmin Schmid
Neuroscience Applied 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105525 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 723 |
| Population | Patients with mostly incurable diseases treated under Swiss limited access program for psychedelic/MDMA-assisted therapy |
| Duration | Patients typically treated 2-4 times within 12 months |
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Switzerland's limited access program for psychedelic-assisted therapy has expanded from 2 to approximately 100 physicians and treated 723 patients by 2024, with most patients receiving 2-4 treatments within 12 months. |
Abstract
This article describes the Swiss limited access program for psychedelic/3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy. The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health can issue authorizations for the limited medical use of otherwise prohibited substances. To be eligible, patients suffer from a mostly incurable disease, the prohibited substance can alleviate the suffering, and there are no alternative treatments, or such treatments have already extensively been used with insufficient outcome. The current program started in 2014 with two physicians. In 2024, there were approximately 100 physicians who held authorizations to treat 723 patients with MDMA (245 patients), lysergic acid diethylamide (130 patients), or psilocybin (348 patients). There were approximately 1660 psychedelic/MDMA-assisted treatments in 2024, with patients typically being treated 2-4 times with the respective substance within 12 months. Various aspects of the program, including its history, provider characteristics and setting, legal requirements, treatment cost, the role of professional societies, education and continuous formation, personal experience, patient characteristics, outcome, and adverse effects, are described and discussed relative to other recently established programs in Canada and Australia. Such information could be of interest to psychedelic-assisted therapy stakeholders, including professionals, patients, and regulatory bodies that are considering setting up similar restricted access programs.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- Current perspectives on psychedelic treatments in Europe. The Lancet Regional Health - Europe November 20, 2025
- Sense-Making Around Psilocybin in UK Women Experiencing Cancer-Related Existential Distress: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Qualitative Health Research February 17, 2026
- Psilocybin in Treatment-Resistant Depression: Weighing Rapid Antidepressant Effects Against Uncertain Durability Therapeutics October 19, 2026
- A national approach in a European context: Multidisciplinary and multiprofessional recommendations on the clinical use of psychedelic substances Neuroscience Applied September 1, 2026
- From trial to clinic: psilocybin’s efficacy in routine treatment-resistant depression The Lancet Regional Health - Europe July 15, 2026
and 13 more in the library
Cites 22
- Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease March 4, 2014
- LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Journal of Psychopharmacology November 11, 2014
- Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects Biological Psychiatry November 29, 2014
- A randomized, controlled pilot study of MDMA (±3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)-assisted psychotherapy for treatment of resistant, chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Journal of Psychopharmacology October 31, 2012
- Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Anxiety With and Without a Life-Threatening Illness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase II Study. Biological Psychiatry February 1, 2023
and 17 more in the library