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Activists arrested at DEA protest

Protestors of psilocybin ban arrested at DEA headquarters

At least 17 activists were arrested for protesting at the DEA headquarters. The purpose of the protest was to raise awareness about the DEA’s obstruction of access to psilocybin therapy, which should be legal for terminally ill patients through the Right to Try (RTT) laws.

“There is urgent need for the DEA to accommodate RTT and enable access (to psilocybin). This demonstration shines the bright light of public concern and outrage on this agency’s conduct,” says Kathryn Tucker, the attorney behind the litigation.

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Psyence and Filament Health Enter Into Exclusive Licensing Agreements For Natural Psilocybin Products

Psyence and Filament Health Enter Into Exclusive Licensing Agreements For Natural Psilocybin Products

Filament Health (FH) granted Psyence Group (PSYG) an exclusive license to use its natural psilocybin formulation in an upcoming palliative care trial in the UK. Filament recently received a patent for its technology for extracting and standardizing natural psilocybin.

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Novamind Hosts Clinical Trial to Advance Ketamine Therapy for End-of-Life Patients

Novamind Hosts Clinical Trial to Advance Ketamine Therapy for End-of-Life Patients

TORONTO, ON / February 3, 2022 / Novamind Inc. (CSE: NM | OTCQB: NVMDF | FSE: HN2) (“Novamind” or the “Company”), a leading mental health company specialized in psychedelic medicine, today announced it has been selected by the Ketamine Research Foundation (KRF) to host a phase II clinical trial investigating ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) for adults with life-threatening illness (the “Conscious Dying/Conscious Living Trial”).

The FDA approval of the study’s KAP protocol marks a first in the investigation of KAP for end-of-life patients and its potential to serve as a model of care for this difficult-to-treat population. The mental health toll of a terminal illness is well-documented; between 24% to 70% of patients experience depression with significant negative impacts on quality of life.1 For patients with shortened life expectancy, ketamine may reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and existential distress, and improve quality of life. Over the course of six weeks, study participants will undergo two KAP sessions at Novamind’s Murray, Utah research site under the supervision of clinical experts.

“This study is an important addition to the clinical care and research opportunities for patients within the Psychedelic Palliative Care program that we are building at Novamind,” said Dr. Paul Thielking, Chief Scientific Officer and Principal Investigator at Novamind’s Murray research site. “I’ve worked with this population for most of my career and, unfortunately, I’ve sometimes felt limited in what I can offer my patients to ease their emotional distress. The findings will contribute to the evidence for using KAP with patients who have a life-threatening illness and offer new insights into alternative treatments.”

The Conscious Dying/Conscious Living Trial is sponsored by the KRF, a non-profit leader in ketamine research, advocacy and clinical training. Phil Wolfson, MD is the Founder and CEO of KRF and a pioneering practitioner and instructor of KAP. He is also a Principal Investigator for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)-sponsored phase II study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with significant anxiety due to life-threatening illnesses.

Dr. Wolfson commented, “Ketamine is still considered a novel treatment option for psychiatric illness and can sometimes be seen as controversial. Now with FDA approval, we’re hopeful that this ground-breaking study will demonstrate KAP’s potential to relieve distress and serve as a model for practitioners of palliative care, hospice and mental health professionals engaged with those who are facing death, to assist in their attitudes and choices for their remaining time.”

To learn more about the Conscious Dying/Conscious Living Trial, please visit this link.

About Novamind
Novamind is a leading mental health company enabling safe access to psychedelic medicine through a network of clinics and clinical research sites. Novamind provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other novel treatments through its network of integrative mental health clinics and operates a full-service contract research organization specialized in clinical trials and evidence-based research for psychedelic medicine. For more information on how Novamind is enhancing mental wellness and guiding people through their entire healing journey, visit novamind.ca.

Contact Information
Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director
Telephone: +1 (647) 953 9512

Samantha DeLenardo, VP, Communications
Email: media@novamind.ca

Investor Relations
Email: ir@novamind.ca

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s public disclosure. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable laws.

1: J Palliat Med . 2021 May;24(5):767-781. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0659. Epub 2021 Mar 15.

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Group therapy cures depression in half of cancer patients!

Open-label study of COMP360 psilocybin therapy for depression in cancer patients demonstrates feasibility of simultaneous psilocybin administration in small groups

On Tuesday, Compass Pathways (CMPS) received a US patent for COMP360, its proprietary formulation of crystalline psilocybin. On Wednesday, the company announced positive findings from an open-label study using the formulation to treat depression in cancer patients.

Thirty patients were administered COMP360 in group therapy sessions of two to four people. Twenty four people experienced at least a 50% reduction in depression symptoms within three weeks of treatment, which was sustained at week eight, and fifteen people were in total remission from depression. The average depression score dropped from 25.9 to just 6.8.

The company notes that the study was not blinded or placebo-controlled, so the findings are subject to expectancy bias, but the results show promise that both COMP360 and group therapy models are effective.

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A trippy (family-friendly) vacay

Novamind Launches New Psychedelic Palliative Care Program

Patients in palliative care have higher rates of depression – could a psychedelic retreat change this?

Yesterday, Novamind (NM) launched a first-of-its-kind program to help both patients and their families cope with terminal illness.

The program, called “Psychedelic Palliative Care by Novamind”, combines psychedelic-assisted therapy with workshops, multi-day immersive retreats, and group support at its recently-opened clinic in Murray, Utah.

“Due to psychedelic medicine’s generally low side effect burden and fast-acting nature, it shows promise for patients who are physically ill and might have limited life expectancies,” said Novamind’s Chief Scientific Officer.

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Novamind Launches New Psychedelic Palliative Care Program

Novamind Launches New Psychedelic Palliative Care Program

Specialized program to research and scale access to psychedelic medicine opens new doors for patients with chronic and serious illness

TORONTO, ON / October 7, 2021 / Novamind Inc. (CSE: NM | OTCQB: NVMDF | FSE: HN2) (“Novamind” or the “Company”), a leading mental health company specialized in psychedelic medicine, is pleased to launch Psychedelic Palliative Care by Novamind (the “Palliative Program”) at its recently opened clinic and research site in Murray, Utah.

Among the first-of-its-kind, the Palliative Program combines psychedelic medicine with psychotherapy, workshops, multi-day immersive retreats and group support for palliative care patients and families who are coping with chronic and serious illness.

“Patients receiving palliative care have higher rates of depression than the general population. Unfortunately, standard anti-depression and anti-anxiety treatments do not work for everyone, can cause side effects, and can take up to eight weeks to work,” explained Dr. Paul Thielking, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Novamind. “Due to psychedelic medicine’s generally low side effect burden and fast-acting nature, it shows promise for patients who are physically ill and might have limited life expectancies.”

Through Novamind’s clinical research division, the Palliative Program will host studies to investigate the use of psychedelic medicine including ketamine and establish the infrastructure for future clinical studies examining psilocybin. This work will build on notable studies from New York University and Johns Hopkins University, which demonstrated psilocybin’s significant immediate and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms in cancer patients.

Prior to his role as Novamind’s CSO, Dr. Thielking developed ketamine-assisted treatment protocols for cancer patients experiencing depression at the University of Utah Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). He also pioneered an ongoing HCI study examining the feasibility of group-administered psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer patients experiencing depression. Dr. Thielking leads the Palliative Program’s multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals specialized in palliative care and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

“Our healthcare system struggles to support the millions of Americans dealing with emotional, spiritual and psychological suffering associated with chronic or serious illness,” noted Dr. Thielking. “Psychedelic Palliative Care by Novamind is designed to address this need, bringing together fast-acting medicine, innovative treatment options and therapeutic expertise in a safe, nurturing environment.”

To learn more about the Palliative Program, visit www.novamind.ca/psychedelic-palliative-care

About Novamind
Novamind is a leading mental health company enabling safe access to psychedelic medicine through a network of clinics and clinical research sites. Novamind provides ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and other novel treatments through its network of Cedar Psychiatry clinics and operates Cedar Clinical Research, a contract research organization specialized in clinical trials and evidence-based research for psychedelic medicine. Both Cedar Psychiatry and Cedar Clinical Research are wholly owned subsidiaries of Novamind. For more information on how Novamind is enhancing mental wellness and guiding people through their entire healing journey, visit novamind.ca.

Contact Information
Novamind
Yaron Conforti, CEO and Director
Telephone: +1 (647) 953 9512

Samantha DeLenardo, VP, Communications
Email: media@novamind.ca

Bill Mitoulas, Investor Relations
Email: bill@novamind.ca

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations including the risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s public disclosure. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable laws.