MDMA May Soon Be Approved For Treatment-Resistant PTSD

A euphoria-inducing drug commonly known as ecstasy is one step closer to becoming a clinical tool in the battle against treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder. Plans to conduct phase three clinical trials on MDMA are moving ahead after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted permission on Wednesday, according to Brad Burge, a spokesman for Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies. The nonprofit group that studies therapy applications for psychedelic drugs and marijuana and will fund the new research. Phase three clinical trials are the final stage necessary before the FDA approves the drug for public use, and the upcoming trial will seek to demonstrate whether MDMA can treat people struggling with flashbacks, traumatic memories and sleeping problems. The New York Times notes that MDMA could be available as a PTSD treatment by 2021 if the clinical trial is successful and researchers’ application to speed up the approval process is granted. Burge said MAPS expects formal approval on trial designs to come in early 2017. The trial could be an important step toward creating more treatment options for people with severe PTSD, which doesn’t respond respond to traditional therapy. Traditional treatments for PTSD include different kinds of talk therapy and antidepressant medication, but they don’t help everyone struggling with the condition.  MAPS has also sponsored early stage clinical trials that found MDMA is effective at h...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news