The VA is undeterred on psychedelics
Politico October 30, 2024
THE LAB
The Department of Veterans Affairs remains convinced that psychedelic therapy can help treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder — and it’s going to try to prove it.
That commitment comes despite the FDA’s August rejection of a drug company’s plan to offer a psychedelic regimen for PTSD.
How so? The VA is funding a study on whether MDMA, also known as ecstasy, combined with talk therapy is an effective treatment for PTSD and alcohol-use disorder, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the VA undersecretary for health, announced on LinkedIn.
“The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must lead on this encouraging area of investigation so that we can continue to build trust with Veterans contending with these severe health conditions,” he wrote,...