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Compass Pathways conducts world’s largest psilocybin therapy trial

COMPASS Pathways completes COMP360 psilocybin therapy administration for 216 patients in large-scale phase IIb psilocybin therapy trial for treatment-resistant depression

Move over Prozac, Compass Pathways (CMPS) just made major progress in psychedelic treatment for depression. The company is conducting the world’s largest psilocybin therapy trial for its proprietary psychedelic compound, COMP360, which targets treatment-resistant depression. So far, 216 patients have had psilocybin therapy sessions at Compass’s 22 trial sites across 10 countries, with 14 more patients completing sessions over the next two weeks. Researchers will follow-up with each patient 12 weeks after the sessions and will publish the findings by the end of this year. Other studies have found that psilocybin is 4 times more effective than typical antidepressants – let’s see what Compass’s new research reveals.

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Nova Mentis receives approval for autism clinical study

Nova Mentis Autism Clinical Study Approved by Canadian Institutional Review Board

Are psychedelics the future of autism treatment? Nova Mentis Life Sciences Corp. (NOVA) received Canadian approval for a new study on autism, which will be the first step in bringing psilocybin treatment to autistic patients. Researchers will observe 200 patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or fragile x syndrome (FXS) to establish baseline biomarkers that can be used to measure psilocybin treatment responses in a later study. NOVA will monitor the gut microbiome, immune response, and serotonin activity in patients, as these factors influence behavioural symptoms.

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Research shows psilocybin’s potential to treat cocaine addiction and chronic pain

Magic mushrooms: UAB studying benefits for addiction and pain

Dr. Peter Hendricks, a researcher at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, found that patients given psilocybin saw significant and lasting reductions in cocaine use compared to patients given a placebo. He plans to continue studying psilocybin’s effect on addiction, as well as on chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Hendricks explains that psilocybin disrupts repetitive thought patterns in the default mode network of the brain, the structures that engage in unfocused activities. “Suddenly your horizons are broadened, and broadened tremendously, and you’re thinking about something other than obtaining or using that drug (or worrying about your pain)”.

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Diamond Therapeutics begins study on very low doses of psilocybin

Diamond Therapeutics contracts BioPharma Services for Phase 1 clinical trial

While there have been few studies on microdosing psilocybin, Diamond Therapeutics Inc.’s preclinical research suggests that very low, non-hallucinogenic doses of psilocybin have potential for treating disorders like anxiety and depression. Diamond is now partnering with BioPharma Services Inc. to expand on this research in a new phase 1 clinical trial, which will explore a range of very low doses of psilocybin.

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Cybin aims to treat COVID-related distress in frontline healthcare workers using new psychotherapy model

Cybin Launches EMBARK and Co-Sponsors First Clinical Trial to Treat Frontline Clinicians Experiencing COVID-Related Burnout and Distress with Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy

A new University of Washington study co-sponsored by Cybin aims to treat COVID-related depression, anxiety, burnout and post-traumatic stress in frontline healthcare workers using psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The study will test Cybin’s new transdiagnostic psychotherapy model called EMBARK, which is “aimed at delivering best-practice, supportive healing in conjunction with psychedelic therapeutics”. Cybin CEO Doug Drysdale says he considers it an honour to support the frontline workers who made great sacrifices for the public throughout the pandemic.

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Study suggests that psilocybin therapy is at least as effective in treating depression as the leading antidepressant, but with fewer side effects and faster results

Psilocybin therapy appears to be at least as effective as a leading conventional antidepressant

A study suggests that psilocybin therapy is at least as effective in treating depression as the leading antidepressant, but with fewer side effects and faster results. After six weeks, participants receiving psilocybin therapy saw an 8.0 point reduction in depressive symptoms and reported “greater improvements in the ability to cry and feel compassion, intense emotion, and pleasure”. Participants receiving escitalopram, a leading SSRI antidepressant, saw just a 6.0 point reduction in depressive symptoms, and were more likely to experience side effects like anxiety, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction, and reduced emotional responsiveness.

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Cancer patients with suicidal ideations saw substantial and long-lasting improvements in wellbeing after psilocybin-assisted therapy

Psilocybin May Reduce Suicidal Thoughts in Terminally Ill Patients, Suggests New Study

A recent NYU study found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy significantly reduced suicidal ideation in advanced cancer patients. Patients saw improvements in existential distress as early as 8 hours after the first dose, and the positive effects lasted over 6 months after the second dose.

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Mike Tyson claims psilocybin mushrooms saved him from suicide

Mike Tyson says psychedelics saved his life, now he hopes they can change the world

After battling internal struggles that led him to the brink of suicide, Mike Tyson says he feels better than ever since using psilocybin for mental and spiritual exploration. Tyson is partnering with Wesana Health to bring awareness to the benefits of psilocybin, as he believes that it is an “amazing medicine” that should be accessible to the world because it could create “a more empathetic and just society”. Former NHL player Daniel Carcillo also participated in psilocybin treatment and claims that he is 100% cured of traumatic brain injury and related symptoms such as slurred speech, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation.

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One dose of psilocybin eases migraines in recent study

A single dose of psilocybin has a lasting therapeutic effect on migraine headache, according to a new placebo-controlled study

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study found that a single low dosage of psilocybin effectively reduced the severity of migraine pain and functional impairments in participants with frequent migraines. Participants reported that the therapeutic effect lasted for at least two weeks with no adverse side effects, supporting years of anecdotal reports that psilocybin eases migraine symptoms.

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Losing weight with shrooms?

Psychedelic drug users tend to have better overall physical health than non-users, study finds

Psychedelic drug users might be healthier than non-users, according to a recent study.

A survey of over 170,000 people showed that those who have used psychedelic drugs (14% of respondents) reported better overall health and were significantly less likely to be overweight or obese compared to non-users. The University of Oxford researchers suggest that transcendent psychedelic experiences might result in “long-term changes in health behavior that contribute to better physical health.”

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