Benzinga | Jul 29, 2021 10:24AM EDT

MindMed Leverages Ayahuasca's Ingredient DMT In Psychedelic-Inspired Therapies, Launches Trials With 30 Subjects

Psychoactive brew ayahuasca is known for having a fast-onset antidepressant effect.

With serotonergic psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, giving promising results in the quest for alternative treatments for depression and anxiety, many companies are turning their focus to developing psychedelic-inspired therapies.

Nasdaq-listed Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc (NASDAQ:MNMD) (NEO: MMED) is looking into the effects of the potent psychedelic compound N, N-dimethyltryptamine, better known as DMT, in patients.

DMT, an active ingredient in ayahuasca, is a cornerstone of MindMed's clinical research study, which is investigating its safety profile, dosage parameters, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.

Based in New York, the biotech company announced the initiation of its Phase 1 clinical trial on Wednesday.

MindMed said it intends to study an intravenous administration method throughout its Phase 1 clinical trial, which obtained all necessary regulatory approvals in Switzerland. The trial is part of the company's collaboration with UHB Liechti Lab and is being conducted by Dr. Matthias Liechti. According to Psychedelic Finance, it will include 30 subjects "in a randomized 5-period crossover, double-blind, placebo-controlled design."

Dr. Miri Halperin Wernli, executive president of MindMed, said she is thrilled to team up with Liechti and University Hospital Basel.

"Currently no study has validly determined the elimination half-life of DMT or other pharmacokinetic parameters, and our study will provide valuable information for future research on DMT as a tool to examine alterations of the mind," Halperin Wernli said.

The intravenous administration method could allow greater control of the patient experience by enabling an acute termination of the psychoactive effects of DMT, Psychedelic Finance writes.

In comparison to the longer-acting psychedelic substances like psilocybin and LSD, DMT administration has a rapid onset and offset.

"MindMed is exploring a number of psychedelic compounds as part of our mission to discover, develop and deploy psychedelic-inspired medicines and therapies to address mental illness and addiction," Halperin Wernli further explained. "Our data-driven approach drives our strategic choices for the development of both classical psychedelics and the very promising next-generation novel chemical entities."

Photo: Courtesy of Louis Reed on Unsplash