The Department of Veterans Affairs is preparing to expand access to psychedelic therapies for veterans with mental health conditions, with as many as 2.1 million potentially benefiting from the treatments, according to an Oct. 25 report from Politico.
Andrew Gradison, a senior adviser at the Veterans Health Administration, said at a psychedelics conference in New York City this month that he is eager to increase the VA’s capacity to administer psychedelic drugs for conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. However, he said treating even “four digits worth of patients” in the first year after an FDA approval could prove challenging.
The push follows President Donald Trump’s April executive order to accelerate psychedelic research, clinical trials and patient access. A week later, the FDA allowed fast-track application reviews for three drugmakers developing psychedelic treatments.
The VA is involved in 20 psychedelic clinical trials and has previously rolled out Spravato, an FDA-approved esketamine treatment for depression. No classic psychedelic drug has received FDA approval for treating mental illness, though Compass Pathways, one of the three fast-tracked drugmakers, anticipates approval of its synthetic psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression during the first half of 2027.
Meanwhile, Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., has sponsored legislation that would establish an office within the VA to help the agency prepare for potential psychedelic drug approvals and integrate the treatments into patient care.
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