Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders.

A review of clinical trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov as of December 3, 2020, shows that 70 studies are evaluating psychedelics (excluding ketamine) for psychiatric disorders. Most studies focus on MDMA (45.7%) and psilocybin (41.4%), with fewer investigating ayahuasca, LSD, ibogaine, salvia divinorum, 5-MeO-DMT, and DMT fumarate. MDMA and psilocybin are primarily studied for PTSD and major depressive disorder; LSD for depression, anxiety, and severe somatic disorders; ibogaine for substance use disorders; and 5-MeO-DMT and DMT for major depressive disorder. Only 21 of the 70 studies had published results; most are ongoing.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychedelics are a hallucinogenic class of psychoactive drugs with the primary effect of activating non-ordinary states of consciousness. Due to the positive preliminary findings of these drugs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, the number of registered clinical studies has risen significantly. In this paper, clinical studies registered on clinicaltrials.gov that evaluate the treatment of any psychiatric disorder with psychedelics (excluding ketamine) are summarized and analyzed. 70 registered studies were identified from a clinicaltrials.gov search on December 3, 2020. The majority of studies aim to investigate methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) (45.7%) and psilocybin (41.4%). Studies evaluating ayahuasca, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ibogaine hydrochloride, salvia divinorum, 5-MeO-DMT and DMT fumarate were less common at 1.4%, 4.2%, 2.8%, 1.4%, 1.4% and 1.4% of total registered studies, respectively. Most of the studies on MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca and salvia divinorum investigated their therapeutic effect on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). LSD was investigated for MDD, anxiety, and severe somatic disorders and ibogaine hydrochloride was investigated for substance and alcohol use disorders. 5-MeO-DMT and DMT fumarate were both investigated for MDD. Only 21/70 registered studies had published results with the majority not yet completed. In view of the large number of ongoing studies investigating psychedelics, it is imperative that these studies are considered by researchers and stakeholders in deciding the most relevant research priorities for future proposed studies.