The Trump administration is considering a larger role for psychedelic substances in medicine, particularly for treating serious mental illnesses, The Hill reported Oct. 3.
Here are four things to know:
1. Interest from federal health officials comes as research continues into substances such as psilocybin, MDMA, ayahuasca and ibogaine. More than 200 people requested to comment at an FDA public hearing in September, where potential applications for PTSD, treatment-resistant depression and substance use disorder were discussed.
2. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April directing HHS to speed access to treatments for serious mental illnesses. As part of the order, the FDA announced accelerated actions related to researching and approving psychedelic therapies such as ibogaine.
3. No psychedelic has received FDA approval, and psilocybin, LSD and MDMA remain Schedule I substances under the Controlled Substances Act. Research is progressing, however. David Yaden, PhD, an associate professor and the Roland Griffiths Professor of Psychedelic Research at Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said psilocybin has reached phase 2 and phase 3 studies involving many hundreds of participants.
4. Drugmakers are also investing in the field. Eli Lilly completed its acquisition of AtaiBeckley in September after announcing the deal in July. AtaiBeckley is developing psychedelic drugs including DMT as a potential treatment for treatment-resistant depression and MDMA for social anxiety disorder.
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