Psychedelics News November 2020

In November 2020, psychedelics had a big win in decriminalization, studies expanded the scope where psychedelics can help, and companies raked in the listings and funding.

First Week of November

Research

Much of the research on the treatment of depression is done in so-called treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients. This group commonly defined as people with depression that have tried at least two other interventions (without success). A new study broadens the scope and finds that psilocybin is also effective for major depressive disorder (MDD). More trials are needed, and at least one company (Cybin) is planning a Phase II trial with 120 patients.

An article in Scientific American by Matthew Johnson and David Yaden argues that ‘There’s No Good Evidence That Psychedelics Can Change Your Politics or Religion‘. This is in reaction to an earlier article that (over)stated the case for changing politics and religion through psychedelics (which in turn may lead to a backlash from one side of the political aisle). In the article, they argue that ‘authoritarianism’ (as measured in a pilot study) doesn’t equal left-right voting, nor that the result was persistent at the 12-month follow-up. The two other studies also don’t equivocally point towards an increase in believing in God or changing political views.

Another critique of psychedelic science is given by Manoj Doss. In his article for Harvard Law, he argues that psychedelics don’t enlighten us about consciousness and that claims made by colleagues have not been supported by the data. He does also state that psychedelics have the potential to treat a variety of mental health disorders and that the circumstances in which they are given (supportive environment, follow-up) is something to be lauded.

NGOs and Advocacy

This has been a big (the biggest so far?) week for psychedelic advocacy. Both measures in Oregon (109 and 110) have passed, as has Washington DC’s initiative 81. The last one decriminalizes psychedelics. Measure 110 decriminalizes all drugs, and 109 proposes a framework for psilocybin professional services (legalization). Below are some of the best reports:

Corporate Corner

Following the decriminalization news, Field Trip is planning on opening a clinic in Oregon.

MindMed has reported on the studies done by Liechti Lab on dose-finding with LSD. This completes Phase I of ‘project Lucy’, which will now go into Phase II of the trial with LSD for anxiety disorders.

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Second Week of November

Research

This week there were two interesting publications that caught our eye. The first, by Brouwer and Carhart-Harris, proposes ‘pivotal mental states‘, a hyper-plastic state which can mediate psychological transformation. The paper isn’t perse about psychedelics but does propose psychedelics as a way along which those states can be elicited.

A small (n=10) study with a single medium dose of psilocybin (10mg/70kg) finds that it suppressed migraines up to two weeks later. On average, it reduced headaches by 1.5 days per week. This is yet another study that finds psychedelics to possibly be a way of improving mental health in a wide variety of ills.

NGOs and Advocacy

The ‘Organisation for the Prevention of Intense Suffering’ (OPIS) has called for the legalization of psychedelics in the treatment of cluster headaches. Although research is limited (see Castellanos et al., 2020), it should become possible for patients to use psychedelics either in a medical setting or not be criminalized when they do so through self-experimentation. Learn more about this (e.g. that it affects 8 million people) in their policy paper.

MAPS has received $50.000 from the Navy SEAL Foundation (NSF), their largest grant ever. Although the total amount isn’t that much (in comparison to their $30 million fundraiser this year), it does mean that more and more conservative and diverse organizations are supporting psychedelics research.

After the decriminalization wins in the November 2020 election, other states like California are also looking to join the bandwagon.

Corporate Corner

This week saw two psychedelic companies join the stock market. Cybin is now live on the NEO Exchange, and Entheon Biomedical on the CSE.

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Third & Fourth Week of November

Research

The second half of November included multiple interesting studies with MDMA (in combination with psychotherapy). In an analysis of the MAPS Phase II trials, Allison Feduccia and colleagues found that those who tapered off antidepressants had a significantly smaller response than those who didn’t. There was enough time (5 half-lives) after discontinuing antidepressants, in the discussion the authors offer three other hypotheses why this difference was found.

A pilot study (n=18) with MDMA for the treatment of anxiety for those suffering from life-threatening illnesses failed to find significant changes in anxiety (STAI) scores. There was a big between-group effect (Hedges’ g = 1), so a larger study might also find that MDMA, next to psilocybin and LSD, could reduce anxiety for this population.

A third study with MDMA took a peek inside the brains (fMRI) of 45 participants and found similar (neuronal) changes as normally found as a result of classical (serotonergic) psychedelics. The authors state: “These findings were almost identical to the results previously reported for hallucinogenic drugs. Therefore, our results suggest that monoaminergic substances can induce widespread changes in within-network connectivity in the absence of marked subjective drug effects.“

The final significant paper is a case study by Felix Müller and colleagues that found significant improvements in mental health after LSD administration. This was the case for someone who was suffering from depression (TRD), suicidal ideation, and other mental health problems. The significance of the case study is that the patient didn’t experience any acute effects (with repeated dosages of 200 µg). Possible mechanism are explored in the paper.

NGOs and Advocacy

Now for the first time, Canada is allowing (section exemption 56) someone with depression to do psychedelics (psilocybin). This good news means that TheraPsil may further expand the opportunities for psychedelics for therapy in Canada.

Corporate Corner

Other news from Canada includes the announcement by Numinus that they will conduct a ‘compassionate use’ trial with psilocybin for substance use disorder. Together this means that Canada is taking significant steps in opening the (medical) door for psychedelics.

Novamind has raised $10 million Canadian (and will go public on the CSE soon) and will use that money to further investments in psychedelic clinics. This, already huge number, is dwarfed by ATAI which raised $125 in its Series C financing round. The company is expected to list on the stock market in 2021, making the investors like Christian Angermayer (Founder & CEO), Peter Thiel, and others wealthier still.

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