Where does MDMA-assisted therapy go from here?

Psychedelic treatments face a challenge from the FDA

woman with mouth open and a pill on her tongue
The FDA's recent move is delaying the possibility of using MDMA in therapeutic settings
(Image credit: Peter Dazeley / Getty Images)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has delivered a "critical blow" against efforts to bring psychedelics into the mainstream, said Vox. The agency rejected an application from drugmaker Lykos Therapeutics to use the drug MDMA as a treatment — combined with talk therapy — for post-traumatic stress. The rejection "does not fully quash" the psychedelic movement, but "it will delay it."

The dismissal came after studies used to support the MDMA effort "missed serious side effects," The Wall Street Journal said, and had problems with bias. The biggest problem? Some subjects told researchers "their thoughts of suicide worsened" amidst the testing, raising concerns the Journal said were not fully captured in the trial reports. "The data is reliable," said Lykos chief executive Amy Emerson. 

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.