EXCLUSIVE: Next-Generation Psychedelics, MEAI - How And Why, An Israeli Scientist Explains

(This is part two of a four-part series)

Check out part one in the series: Next-Generation Psychedelics: The Case Of MEAI And Its Potential To Treat Addiction

A compound developed by Israeli psychedelics company Clearmind Medicine CMND would act by providing a similar feeling to that which drinking alcohol produces. 

“It gives you the sensation not only that you’ve had enough but also you don’t want to have any more drinks, while also giving a very warm, very controlled sociable sensation,” says CEO Dr. Adi Zuloff-Shani.

Clearmind has already concluded several preclinical studies on MEAI, which can be divided into two: pre-IND enabling studies required by the FDA to move on to human trials and “discovery” studies. 

Both types were done in a dose-dependent manner. When the dose was changed, no serious adverse events associated with MEAI were registered.

“So again, if safety is the major reason for developing this 2.0 generation, MEAI certainly ticks this box,” Zuloff-Shani says.

The compound has already been tested for several addictions, from cocaine use disorder where MEAI’s effects were encouraging considering there is no effective treatment for this, and obesity and metabolic disorders.

The first indication Clearmind is pursuing for MEAI is Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Why? “The reason is that there was a record of some recreational use of MEAI and the reason why people use it is because they want to control the amount of alcohol they usually consume,” Dr. Zuloff-Shani told Benzinga. “So we have these human testimonials speaking about the efficacy of MEAI for that condition.”

This course of proceeding, that is looking into a psychedelic compound or developing one because human testimonial is available, is common in the psychedelics industry, noted Zuloff-Shanim who added that what is currently known about this molecule is actually not new.

“I believe MEAI was first synthesized in the 80’s, maybe even before that. But no one did anything with it. And until today no one except us is doing anything with it,” Zuloff-Shani said. 

A Bit Of History On MEAI

Dr. Zuloff-Shani recalled that around 2018, a Canadian-based company began selling MEAI online as an alcohol substitute for a year or so, claiming it helped control the amount of alcohol ingested.

Out of its many buyers, some agreed to answer questions about how they felt after they took it. Some questions included whether their experience had any adverse events, if they had the urge to continue consuming MEAI, whether they were able to control and even decrease their intake of alcohol and how the drug changed the taste.

“Most if not all the people that used it said that they didn’t suffer any adverse events, nor did they feel the urge to continue consuming MEAI. On the other hand, they were able to dramatically decrease the amount of alcohol they usually ingested, and some of them did not understand how to continue drinking alcohol,” Zuloff-Shani explained.

Even with the positive results, Health Canada eventually contacted the company and banned the product’s sales as it hadn’t gone through the regulatory approval pathway. 

As the company stopped working, Clearmind contacted the person in charge of the MEAI patents and purchased the worldwide rights.

“That's how we obtained MEAI's (patent's) rights and because of those testimonials, we decided that we should definitely develop something for AUD. That is, not only because of the very encouraging testimonials but also because of it being a huge problem, with huge unmet needs,” Zuloff-Shani said.

Clearmind’s MEAI is not different from this original compound. The only difference is that now it is developed as a drug product, meaning it is a formulation of its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and some other formulations related to shelf life, antioxidants and other issues.

Photo: Benzinga edit with photo by Raimundo79 and Sergey Nivens on Shutterstock.

Part three in this series: Next-Generation Psychedelics, MEAI - What And When