Psyched: Numinus, MAPS To Spearhead MDMA Trials; Vancouver Plans To Decriminalize Drugs

Numinus and MAPS Collaborate to Study MDMA in Canada

Numinus Wellness NUMI and the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation have joined forces to bring MDMA-assisted psychotherapy through clinical trials for approval in Canada.

The pair will first seek permission to perform a single-arm, open-label, compassionate access trial, which is a special type of license granted by Health Canada when drug manufacturers anticipate exceptional demand for a drug.

The trial will build upon MAPS’ ongoing phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S., which are anticipated to soon receive FDA approval to legalize the psychedelic entheogen MDMA for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

MAPS Public Benefit Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, a nonprofit working for the legalization of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy since 1986.

If approved, the trial will be conducted at Numinus' clinic in Vancouver, and will give MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to 20 patients experiencing PTSD.

CaaMTech Announces New Research Deal And Drug Synthesis

Psychedelic drug development company CaaMTech announced on Tuesday a new research collaboration with the Leibniz Institute in Jena, Germany.

The collaboration aims to “fill several gaps in the scientific understanding of the chemical composition of psychedelic psilocybin-containing mushrooms.”

CaaMTech CEO Dr. Andrew Chadeayne said that psilocybin is just one of many tryptamines found in magic mushrooms and probably not the one with the most potential or the most important effects.

"Understanding the chemical composition of magic mushrooms allows us to quantifiably distinguish their effects from pure psilocybin and harness the advantages," he added.

This week, the company also announced the successful synthesis of Deprocin hydrochloride, a lesser-known psychedelic drug which is a psilocybin analog and doesn’t exist in nature.

Lobe Sciences Begins Research on Psilocybin for Brain Injuries and Concussions

Lobe Sciences Ltd. LOBE GTSIF announced this week the launch of a preclinical study combining psilocybin and N-Acetylcysteine -also known as NAC- in the treatment of mild traumatic brain injuries and concussions in association with PTSD.

The research will be done in collaboration with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

“Given there are currently no proven effective medical treatments for the treatment of mTBI and PTSD, we feel this is an important study that can lead to human clinical trials and eventually therapeutics to make a positive impact in the physical and mental wellbeing of millions of people," said Maghsoud Dariani, Chief Science Officer of Lobe.

According to the company, there are 5.3 million Americans living with the effects of mild traumatic brain injury. NAC is the only compound that has passed a phase 1 equivalent trial in a population of patients who had acute mild traumatic brain injury.

The company will begin studying the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in combination with NAC in rodent models, and expects to deliver results in 2021.

Vancouver Msy Follow Oregon’s Decriminalization Path

The city council at the Canadian city of Vancouver voted to begin a process that could decriminalize the possession of small amounts of all illicit drugs, including heroin and methamphetamine, Microdose.Buzz reported.

The decision comes closely after Oregon became the first U.S. state to remove penalties on the small possession of all illegal drugs, in a ballot vote at the November election. Oregon’s measure also creates a program to support drug abuse and addiction, viewing them as medical conditions instead of crimes.

If the measure passes, Vancouver would become the first Canadian city to pass a legislation of the sort. After a unanimous vote by the city council, the City Mayor will now have to submit a formal request to the federal ministers of health and justice, asking for a special exemption to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

This Week’s Milestone Round

New Wave Holdings SPORTRMND entered a new strategic partnership with the University of West Indies in Jamaica, where psilocybin is decriminalized. The venture will explore the development of therapeutic compounds and natural health products derived from local plants and fungi. Capital from New Wave will support the University’s research.

Entheon Biomedical Corp. ENBI inked a new clinical research agreement with the Centre for Human Drug Research, a contract research organization located in Leiden, Netherlands, that specializes in early-stage clinical drug research. The partnership expects to begin human clinical trials on the psychedelic drug DMT, after receiving final approval to import the compound.