Drugs are bad, m’kay. But what if they’re not? Psilocybin continues to be in the limelight for its potential medicinal uses, including most particularly its potential to combat the nation’s growing mental health crisis. Last week, we reported on the fact that President Trump’s surgeon general nominee was a potential proponent of the use of psychedelics like psilocybin. Now, another member of Trump’s administration has chimed in, and this time it’s someone from the Food and Drug Administration.
The head of the FDA has advised that “exploring the therapeutic potential for psychedelics such as psilocybin and ibogaine is a top priority for the Trump Administration.” According to FDA Administrator Matt Makary, who spoke on News Nation recently,
When it comes to some of these psychedelics and other plant-based therapies, I don’t think we’re listening to patients… I don’t think the medical establishment is listening to doctors. When I listen to the individuals who have tried some of these for real medical conditions—post-traumatic stress disorder, severe refractory depression—people tell me that they believe that psilocybin was successful. It was a curative, or significantly helped, their severe mood disorder.
People have told me that other psychedelics, like MDMA, have been helpful in treating PTSD. Doctors have told me that they’ve sent patients for this therapy… Ibogaine has been used to treat PTSD. There are trials now looking at it for traumatic brain injury—things we have had nothing for in the past. What have we had to treat traumatic brain injury and PTSD that has really had great results up until this time?
To be sure, Makary has said he is not necessarily endorsing these plant-based medicines but does think it’s important to be sure the FDA doesn’t “get in the way with red tape.”
We’ve become used to seeing administrative and executive officials, including the VA and members of Congress, acknowledging the potential benefits of psychedelics as medicine. But last year, under a different administration, FDA dealt a significant blow to the industry, deciding not to approve Lykos Therapeutics, Inc.’s MDMA-assisted PTSD therapy. Makary’s recent statements may mean a sea change for the FDA. We think it’s likely that companies supporting psychedelics research will be emboldened and may become more aggressive in seeking trials and approval under this administration. But much remains to be seen, and Makary has definitely left himself with plenty of ways out. Stay tuned.