Psilocybin for Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder: a Feasibility Study
Open-label, single-group Phase II feasibility study (n=10) administering a single oral dose of psilocybin 25 mg to people with alcohol use disorder to assess safety, feasibility and psilocin pharmacokinetics.
Detailed Description
This open-label single-group study will give a single oral dose of PEX010 (psilocybin 25 mg) to 10 participants with alcohol use disorder to assess feasibility and safety.
Participants will meet with a psychologist for preparation and post-session debriefing; blood samples will be taken during the dosing session to establish psilocin pharmacokinetics and estimated 5-HT2A receptor occupancy, and outcomes including adverse events will be assessed at one week.
Study Protocol
Preparation
Dosing
Integration
Therapeutic Protocol
Study Arms & Interventions
Psilocybin
experimentalSingle-group open-label administration of psilocybin 25 mg (PEX010) to participants with AUD.
Interventions
- Psilocybin25 mgvia Oral• single dose• 1 doses total
PEX010 psilocybin 25 mg opaque capsule, cGMP
Participants
Inclusion Criteria
- 1. Age of 20-70 years (both included).
- 2. Body weight of 60-95 kg (both included).
- 3. Diagnosed with AUD according to DSM-5 criteria and alcohol dependence according to ICD-10.
- 4. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) ≥ 15.
- 5. ≥ 5 heavy drinking days.
Exclusion Criteria
- 1. Personal or first-degree relatives with current or previous diagnosis within psychotic spectrum disorders or bipolar disorder.
- 2. History of delirium tremens or alcohol withdrawal seizures.
- 3. History of suicide attempt or present suicidal ideation.
- 4. Withdrawal symptoms at inclusion, defined as a score higher than 9 on the Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale, Revised (CIWA-Ar).
- 5. Present or former severe neurological disease including head trauma with loss of consciousness > 30 min.
- 6. Impaired hepatic function (liver transaminases > 3 times upper normal limit).
- 7. Cardiac problems defined as decompensated heart failure (NYHA class III or IV), unstable angina pectoris and/or myocardial infarction within the last 12 months.
- 8. Abnormal electrocardiogram.
- 9. Impaired renal function (eGFR < 50 ml/min).
- 10. Uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure >165 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure >95 mmHg).
- 11. Pharmacotherapy against AUD including disulfiram, naltrexone, acamprosate and nalmefene or treatment with any of these compounds within 28 days prior to inclusion.
- 12. Treatment with any serotonergic medication or any use of serotonergic psychedelics within 1 month prior to inclusion.
- 13. Any other active substance use defined as a Drug Use Disorder Identification Test score > 6/2 (m/w) and substance use disorder based on investigator's clinical evaluation, except for nicotine.
- 14. Women of childbearing potential who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have intention of becoming pregnant or are not using adequate contraceptive measures considered highly effective.
- 15. Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients.
- 16. Unable to speak and/or understand Danish.
- 17. Any condition that the investigator feels would interfere with trial participation.
Study Details
- StatusActive not recruiting
- PhasePhase II
- Typeinterventional
- DesignNon-randomized
- Target Enrollment10 participants
- TimelineStart: 2021-01-20End: 2023-09-01
- Compound
- Topic