Medical Access and Reimbursement in Brunei Darussalam

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs framework, with no authorised medical use outside of approved research. Possession, supply or trafficking of controlled psychotropic substances is criminalised and subject to severe penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs framework, with no authorised medical use outside of approved research. Possession, supply or trafficking of MDMA is criminalised and subject to severe penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Esketamine (Spravato®) is not listed as an authorised or reimbursed psychiatric medicine in Brunei’s public formularies and there is no public evidence of a national approval/coverage pathway for esketamine in Brunei; therefore it is not reimbursed by public health systems and would require formal importation/registration approval for any legal medical use. Brunei’s medicines and poisons regime is administered by the Ministry of Health (Pharmaceutical Services / drug registration), which controls importation and registration of medicinal products #. For controlled/psychotropic products the Misuse of Drugs Act and related regulations apply; without an MoH registration and explicit authorised program, esketamine would not be available or reimbursed nationally #.

Ketamine is a controlled medicine in Brunei and is permitted for legitimate medical uses (e.g., anaesthesia) under Brunei’s medicines/poisons and narcotics regulatory framework; however, there is no established, reimbursed program for ketamine-based psychiatric (psychedelic/rapid‑antidepressant) treatment comparable to specialist reimbursement schemes seen in some other countries. The Ministry of Health regulates pharmaceuticals and import/registration of medicines via its Pharmaceutical Services unit #; Brunei’s Narcotics Control Bureau enforces the Misuse of Drugs Act for controlled substances #. Regional monitoring and law‑enforcement reporting show ketamine is a substance that appears in local drug seizure reports, consistent with tight controls on distribution outside licensed medical use (see ASEAN/NCB monitoring reports referencing ketamine seizures in Brunei). # #.

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs framework, with no authorised medical use outside of approved research. Possession, manufacture or trafficking is criminalised and carries severe penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs framework, with no authorised medical use outside of approved research. Activities involving this compound are subject to criminal penalties under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under Brunei’s drug control laws with no authorised medical framework for ibogaine outside approved research. There is no recognised or reimbursed treatment pathway for ibogaine in Brunei; possession and use outside approved settings would be criminally actionable under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Because ayahuasca contains controlled tryptamines (DMT/related compounds), it falls within the national control framework and is not authorised for medical or ritual importation/use outside approved research. Currently classified under Brunei’s controlling legislation with no reimbursement or legal medical programme; use or importation can attract criminal prosecution under the Misuse of Drugs Act #.

Currently classified as a strictly controlled psychotropic substance under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs Act, with no authorised medical use or reimbursement pathway. Possession, supply or trafficking is criminalised and subject to severe penalties. #.

The group of 2C (phenethylamine) synthetic psychedelics (commonly referred to as 2C‑X compounds) are treated as controlled psychotropic substances under Brunei’s Misuse of Drugs framework; there is no authorised medical or reimbursed use and such compounds are criminalised outside approved clinical research. #.