Prospective preference assessment for the Ecstasy for Alleviating Severe Chronic Neuropathic Pain (EASE-Pain) trial.
Canadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie September 1, 2025 Mindy Lu, Victoria Tucci, Nandana Parakh et al.
Most patients with chronic pain at a Toronto pain clinic were willing to join a clinical trial testing MDMA-assisted therapy for pain relief. Among 42 patients surveyed, 76% expressed willingness to participate in the EASE-Pain trial, which compares MDMA with an active placebo. White/European participants were more likely to be willing than nonwilling. The main motivators were pain relief (62%) and seeking alternatives to ineffective treatments (26%). Common concerns included side effects (43%), impacts on comorbidities (19%), and stigma associated with MDMA (19%). The findings suggest that protocol modifications, such as better patient education on drug effects, may improve trial enrollment and acceptability.