Psychedelics News August 2020 - Blossom

News about psychedelics hasn’t slowed down a bit during August. Everyone was delighted by the news that MAPS raised the $30 million they need to get MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through Phase III of FDA trials. Within a span of 6 months, they were able to raise this money from both large (from both aisles) and small donors (2700 in total).

Accessibility of psychedelics also saw two major steps forward happen. Usona Institute (a non-profit) found a way to make psilocybin at scale, and will make that knowledge public. In Canada four patients got access to end-of-life anxiety therapy with psilocybin. Many theorize that this may open a door for greater access both for this specific group and the wider population. Seeing the numerous positive articles written about it, the public perception is changing for the better.

Psychedelics companies announced multiple clinical trials. The most interesting being a study that combines LSD and MDMA, by MindMed and Liechti Labs. Other companies announced various products from orally dissolvable films for the administration of psilocybin (Revive) to an app to use during your next trip (Field Trip).

Do also see our Psychedelics Research August 2020 blog.

NGOs and advocacy:

MAPS (and PSFC) has raised the $30 million they need to get MDMA for PTSD through Phase III FDA trialsAll the funding came from donations, of which many were of a large and diverse set of $500k-$1 donors

Usona Institute finds a more effective way to make psilocybin at scale, 1.2kg per batch = 50.000 research dosages“Making this discovery publicly available is the result of Usona’s Open Science commitment to advance scientific knowledge in the field.”They also (via their newsletter) announced that their Phase II trials have started up again

4 Palliative Canadians approved for end of life psilocybin therapy through section 56(1) ; First legal medical exemptions for psilocybin in Canada since 1970’sGreat news for the patients and a first step forward in the medical availability of these medicinesPsilocybin (mushrooms) are not difficult to get a hold of in Canada, but doing this within the established system hasn’t been done for 50 yearsThe process, using Section 56, is also what in 1999 got medical marijuana exemptedAlso reported in Rolling Stone, Psillow, DoubleBlind, Vice, CTVNews (and many more)The first Canadian to legally consume psilocybin for medical purposes shares his experience

The petition to legalize natural psychedelic drugs in Canada is also going well with over 13,000 signatures

Psilocybin will not be rescheduled in the UK, shame!But MP Crispin Blunt has launched an investigation into the response

But in the EU, the Twenty21 medical cannabis registry goes live, a project by Drug Science

And the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group isn’t sitting still, they launched a ‘sign, send, subscribe’ campaignThe campaign aims to enlist grassroots support for the rescheduling of psilocybin

Decriminalize Nature D.C. has had success in getting a vote on the November ballot (“I-81”)

Unlimited Sciences launches a survey study on natural use of psilocybin, together with Johns Hopkins University (press release)

Corporate Corner:

I reported on a job board by the Conscious Fund at the end of last month, only days later Psilocybin Alpha launches their own job board

ATAI founder, Christian Angermayer, collected €13 million on a deal between SoftBank and Wirecard (paywall), the latter being called ‘the Enron of Germany’ATAI also enters into a feasibility agreement with InteGenx to develop polymeric (macro-molecules) film-based psychedelicsAnd the company launches a subsidiary to develop MDMA derivatives, called EmpathBio

Peter Gasser will become an advisor on Project Lucy, the LSD experiential therapy program by MindMedAnd not staying behind on the MDMA front, the company announces clinical trial that combines MDMA and LSD

Susan Chapelle, CEO of Havn Life, speaks about providing GMP grade psilocybin to Futurism

Field Trip has launched an app ‘trip’ to be your set and settingAnd has raised $11 in a Series B financing

Spravato (expensive, nasal spray of esketamine) has been approved by the FDA to treat suicidal ideation and behaviorThis is in complement to the use for (treatment-resistant) depressionAlso reported in NPR

Eleusis finds that 2C-H has an anti-inflammatory effect for patients suffering from asthma without the psychedelic effectsThey found that the potency wasn’t predicted by a psychedelics’ (21 tested) psychoactive properties

NeuroPharm (Mydecine Innovations Group) has announced a partnership with Leiden University for a clinical trial of psilocybin for PTSD in veteransThe trial still needs to pass the Research Ethics Board but should commence later this yearIt is unique in that it combines psilocybin and PTSD (which is mostly being studied with MDMA-assisted therapy by MAPS)

Mydecine will extract psilocybin from natural sources and aims to sell it to researchers and for-profitsThe press release also notes that they can/will internally compare the natural (extracted) and synthetic (lab-made) version (plus minus the other molecules that may lead to an entourage effect)