Australian Approval of MDMA and Psilocybin a ‘Baby Step in the Right Direction’
mrpg writes:
The Therapeutic Goods Administration announced on Friday that, from July, approved psychiatrists would be able to prescribe MDMA (ecstasy) for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms) for treatment-resistant depression. The move makes Australia the first country in the world to officially recognise psychedelics as medicines.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists president, associate professor Vinay Lakra, said the college "cautiously welcomed" the decision, and had been monitoring ongoing research in the area.
"We need to take some baby steps rather than one giant leap," he said. "So this is a baby step in the right direction and what it does is allow us to do things in an appropriately safe way for everyone ... and if necessary take a step back as well."
[...] Psychiatrists will need to get approval by a human research ethics committee, then approval under the TGA's authorised prescriber scheme. To get those approvals they must demonstrate their training, robust patient selection and evidence-based treatment protocols, as well as patient monitoring. They must also satisfy governance and reporting criteria.
"These measures are necessary because there is only limited evidence that the substances are of benefit in treating mental illnesses, and only in controlled medical settings," the TGA said in a statement.
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