Issue 184

Beyond ecstasy: Dutch MDMA report explores therapeutic possibilities

Last month, the Dutch State Commission on MDMA released its report advising the Government to allow access to MDMA-Assisted Therapy (MDMA-AT) for people living with PTSD. The report has now been translated into English.

The Netherlands’ history with MDMA stretches back decades, with over 550,000 people in the country having taken MDMA recreationally at least once in 2022.

Its extensive use in raves and clubs has led to criminal gang operations and industrial-scale production of the compound in the country, igniting calls for its regulation to stop this criminal activity.

However, outside of this recreational use, recent years have seen increasing research demonstrating MDMA’s potential as a treatment for PTSD in combination with psychotherapy.

In light of these developments, the independent State Commission was established by the Dutch Parliament in 2023 to research the legal status of MDMA and provide advice on its medical use.

Highlighting that Dutch drug policy dates from 1995 and has not been reviewed since 2009, the report emphasises that there is an urgent need for a thorough review and update on the basis of scientific evidence and not “emotions”.

While the MDMA: Beyond Ecstasy report does not review the entire Dutch drug policy, it maps out the historical, legal, policy-related, public health science and therapeutic aspects of MDMA, includes recommendations for policy and the use of MDMA in medical settings, and concludes there is sufficient evidence for MDMA’s medical application.

PSYCHEDELICS HAVE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

In light of the FDA’s recent vote against MDMA-assisted therapy, Ross Ellenhorn and Dimitri Mugianis discuss how psychedelics have great therapeutic potential if understood on their own terms.

In The Guardian, the pair write: “As practitioners and leaders in the realm of human transformation, and in creating and running organizations that serve individuals experiencing complex psychiatric symptoms, we believe in psychedelics as a force for good. Yet, to us, this FDA decision is the natural and expected outcome of a basic and fatal conceptual error that our brothers and sisters in the movement have adopted.

“By joining larger trends within the behavioral health milieu that focus on the elimination of distinct symptoms by drugs and by expert-driven techniques, today’s psychedelic movement is teetering on the edge of becoming unpsychedelic.”

CREATING A NEW FRONTIER WITH PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS

Penn Medicine explores whether psychedelic drugs are embarking on a journey towards clinical use or if the challenges of studying psychedelics, along with ethical risks raise too many questions.

“As debate continues if—and how—psychedelics should be used, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recently voted down a proposal brought by a drugmaker to use MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in combination with talk therapy. The committee recognized the promise of psychedelics but raised serious concerns about the science and the ethics of psychedelic treatments.

“However, the FDA can still eventually approve its use. If so, there is a growing movement of cross disciplinary experts crafting guardrails for how psychedelic drugs should be used.”

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

A new study has found that psilocybin causes persistent reduction of hippocampal-default mode network connectivity.

A small new study shows reactions in the brain in people who were given psilocybin in a controlled setting, writes The New York Times.

A synthetic psychedelic is making waves in stubborn depression treatment – Forbes explores COMPASS Pathways’ COMP360 psilocybin treatment.

A systematic review has looked at cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA.

REGULATION AND LEGISLATION

A new report outlines policy options for who gets to sell psychedelics, and who gets to buy them, writes Vox.

The DEA wants to ban scientifically ‘crucial’ psychedelics because people might use them, writes reason.

BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT

Awakn has entered into a commercial collaboration agreement with Graft Polymer to develop Awakn’s novel aminoindane NC series programme.

Scotland-based Eulas has opened its clinic dedicated to advanced psychedelic therapies for mental health and wellness.

The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre has partnered with biotech startup Psylo to develop treatments for psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Worldwide Clinical Trials has partnered with PI-House and Polish Psychedelic Society for psychedelic studies in Poland.

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Long-awaited reforms to the Mental Health Act that will raise the threshold for detention are among the measures announced in the first King’s Speech of the new government.

WHO has released guidance to help countries roll out self-care interventions within their health care systems such as medicines, diagnostic and monitoring devices and digital tools.