Australia’s approval of MDMA and psilocybin for PTSD and depression is premature, say critics

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) imposed specific conditions on the use of MDMA and psilocybin for therapeutic purposes: only psychiatrists who are trained and authorized to prescribe these substances may do so, each patient case must be approved by a human research ethics committee, and the treatments must be combined with psychotherapy. Additionally, a TGA officer and the ethics committee must confirm that a suitably robust treatment protocol has been developed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The TGA attached conditions to their use: namely, that onlypsychiatristswhoare trainedandauthorised to prescribe MDMA and psilocybin can do so, that a human research ethics committeemust approve each patient case, and that the treatments must be used in conjunction with psychotherapy.1 An officer of the TGA and the ethics committee must also satisfy themselves that “a suitably robust treatment protocol has been developed.”