Australia straps in for its largest psychedelics trial yet

Welcome to Tricycle Day. Forget a silver platter… We deliver the news on a rainbow acid blotter. One lick and you’re off to the races. 👅

In today’s newsletter, we’re sharing the latest from down unda.

Crikey, that’s a big trial!

Just last week, we reported on the promising results from a trial of intravenous DMT for major depressive disorder.

Today, we’re letting you know about another study set to tackle treatment-resistant depression with psychedelics.

But this isn’t just a do-over. This time, the researchers are:

• Testing psilocybin (not DMT) 🍄

• Delivering it through a high-dose, rapid-release tablet (not through an intravenous infusion) 💊

• Enrolling 160 participants in the study (not 34) 👥

• Australian  

Sound the didgeridoo because this is a big one, mate. In fact, it’ll be the Australia’s largest psychedelic clinical trial so far.

Swinburne University of Technology signed a $5 million deal with Woke Pharmaceuticals to evaluate the company’s proprietary psilocybin formulation, WP002.

Lead researcher Susan Rossell acknowledged previous studies, but she stressed the “findings from the literature need to be pursued with large real-world trials, like the one we are conducting.”

Translation: What were those? Clinical trials for ants? 🐜

Woke’s study will divide its 160 participants into groups, who will receive either 2 or 3 doses of WP002 with therapy, or placebo and therapy.

They’ll be looking mostly at MADRS scores (an industry standard depression rating scale) to assess outcomes.

But since they’re thinking BIG, they also want to look at the potential economic benefits to the healthcare system that could come out of achieving lasting remission of depression at scale.

It’s a tall order, but if anything can beat depression and fix the economy, we believe in mushrooms.

Pressure’s on, Aussies. You failed us with this abomination. But that’s in the past. Just don’t do us dirty again.

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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. The use, possession, and distribution of psychedelic drugs are illegal in most countries and may result in criminal prosecution.