Treating PTSD Topically & Directly To The Brain? Psychedelics Delivery Company Poised For Major Breakthrough

Psycheceutical Bioscience, Inc BWVI is a cutting-edge biotech startup that developed a topical drug delivery system called NeuroDirect, a system that can be used to deliver psychedelic drugs directly to the brain, avoiding the traditional “high” and side effects.

The company is currently conducting trials in Australia for the treatment of PTSD and complex regional pain syndrome. Earlier this month, Psycheceutical announced the completion of dosing the first cohort of subjects in a Phase I clinical trial of its topical ketamine formulation for PTSD.

So Far, So Good

If successful, NeuroDirect could have applications for a wide range of neuro-related conditions, including Parkinson’s, drug addiction and traumatic brain injury.

Backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin Harrington and led by Mike Zapolin, AKA Zappy, a former Wall Street VP, chief visionary officer and advisor to Psycheceutical.

Zapolin, who spoke at the April Benzinga Psychedelics Capital Conference in Miami explained that the company has also received a number of patents for topical back-of-the-neck drug delivery. This approach could be used to deliver dozens of “neuroactive” drugs, from NSAIDS and SSRIs to antipsychotics and pain meds.

Patents for NeuroDirect are owned by a company called DEF, LLC (Defending Everyone’s Freedom), which was founded by a military veteran who paid for and drove the development of the patents, Zapolin told Benzinga recently. 

Nothing Like It In The Medical World: How Does NeuroDirect Work?

NeuroDirect seeks to apply drugs in the form of a patch at the base of the neck, targeting free nerve endings and then triggering nerve impulses that shoot to the spinal cord and brain. “They put it into a crystal structure in the patch and it emits the frequency of psilocin as if you’ve taken a microdose of psilocybin without anything else,” Zapolin explained.

Topical administration, he noted, could be ideal for people who fall into higher-risk categories like teenagers, the elderly or those weary of IV or oral administration. At the moment, nothing like this exists in the medical world, said Zapolin who added that Psycheceutical Bioscience has successfully completed its pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) meeting with the FDA.

Stemming The Opioid Epidemic As Well

While still in the early stages of development, the potential of NeuroDirect is significant. If successful, it could revolutionize the way that drugs are delivered and improve the lives of millions of people, says Zapolin.

If these types of delivery methods become available, they can also play an important role in disrupting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, which has become one of the country’s worst health crises in history.

“So many of these people are not drug addicts, they’re individuals who had a pain injury, the pills end and then they go to the street and end up buying pills that are laced with fentanyl...and now they’re addicted,” Zapolin concluded.

You will surely hear more about this cutting-edge topic at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago on September 27-28 where industry experts from investors, CEOs to cannabis researchers and advocates and everyone in between including Illinois Gov. JD Pritzker will gather. All information is available on bzcannabis.com  

PharmaVoice also reported on this story.

Photo courtesy of Mike Zapolin