FDA PLAYS DUMB, DENIES MDMA AS TREATMENT FOR PTSD, CAUSING GENERAL OUTRAGE
I’ve been eagerly following the news about MDMA assisted therapy for those suffering from PTSD. And PTSD means veteran patients, who really need the help. Study after study found amazingly positive results when it came to treating PTSD with MDMA, and the recent push to get the FDA to approve this new line of treatment was a major hope for many. Yet to my dismay, and to many others, the FDA has denied approval. To say this is a disappointment is an understatement to an overwhelming degree, and raises a host of old and new questions as to why.
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KNOWN TO MANY AS “ECSTASY,” MDMA HAS PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE TREATING PTSD
MDMA, you may recall, was first created (or synthesized) by a chemist at Merck, Anton Köllisch, in 1912. It wasn’t really used by people until the 1970’s, to enhance psychotherapy. But by the 1980’s, it became known as “Ecstasy,” a popular drug people used at raves, dance parties, and in association with electronic dance music. But it’s been an illegal drug in the U.S. since 1985, when it was conscribed as a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Schedule includes heroin and LSD, for context.
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DESPITE SUPPORT FROM SENATORS, CONGRESSPEOPLE AND ADVOCACY GROUPS, FDA SAYS NO
But research in recent years has shown that MDMA is an incredibly potent form of treatment for PTSD, and there are literally millions of American veterans living with PTSD. That’s why a host of advocacy groups lobbied its approval, including letters from over 80 House Members and Senators. The science shows that MDMA is both safe to use, and a very effective treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD with an insanely high suicide rate. SO why did the FDA deny its approval? After all, they haven’t approved any new treatments for PTSD in over 20 years!
So why? Is it generational, institutional politics still dedicated to demonizing only certain drugs? Is it because Big Pharma will lose a couple points in their profit margins? It’s hard to know. You can read more about the FDA’s decision here, and the response from Lykos (the company developing MDMA to treat PTSD) here.
