Stress, Anxiety, PTSD: 2 NASDAQ-Listed Drug Developers Advance Psychedelic-Inspired Meds

Psychedelics biotech Silo Pharma Inc. SILO and Columbia University are developing a novel compound formulation as a prophylactic treatment for stress, anxiety and PTSD.

Ketamine-based SPC-15 is currently undergoing studies on dosage and delivery methods. These, coupled with published preclinical data, altogether show promising results for treating cognitive impairment, PTSD, and other stress-related disorders.

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The SPC-15 treatment protocol “predicts levels of severity or progression of stress-related disorders and their metabolomic biomarkers’ response to pharmacological treatments," Silo Pharma CEO Eric Weisblum explained.

The company holds a recently granted U.S. patent covering SPC-15 as a method for the treatment and prevention of stress-induced affective disorders in females.

Bright Minds Gets International Go-Ahead

Meanwhile, Bright Minds Biosciences Inc. DRUG had its patent application covering phenethylamine (aka PEA)-class compounds reviewed and approved by the International Searching Authority. This indicates the company’s lead compounds as novel and inventive in a non-binding “written opinion” letter.

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These compounds targeting the 5-HT2A and 5-HT2A/5-HT2C receptors are potentially best-in-class, with an optimized short half-life, high potency, and extreme selectivity, the company claims. 

One of the compounds is BMB-202 — the company’s lead 5-HT2A agonist. It has shown a superior potency compared to psilocin in vitro. Moreover, while it has not shown significant activity at other 5-HT receptors, it is fast-acting, holds a short duration (around two hours), and has demonstrated antidepressant properties in vivo.

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

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