FILE-A lab technician prepares a solution that will be used in a clinical trial. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A new LSD-based experimental pill can substantially reduce symptoms of major depression in patients in a late-stage trial.
Definium Therapeutics, biopharmaceutical company, told Reuters that the experimental drug helped patients record significantly lower scores on a standard depression scale, meeting the clinical trial's main objective.
What is the new LSD-based drug?
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DT120 is a pill that is part of a class of drugs known as classic psychedelics, which temporarily alter perception, mood and thinking. Reuters reported that it’s a pharmaceutical formulation of LSD also known as lysergide and works by activating serotonin receptors in the brain.
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To determine the effectiveness of the drug, Definium Therapeutics conducted a clinical trial using the drug with 149 participants between the age of 18 and 74 years old with major depressive disorder (MDD), which is the second-most common mental health disorder in the United States, with over 21 million Americans experiencing a significant depressive incident annually.
Definium said the data brings it closer to an FDA submission, and it was running a second late-stage depression trial.
According to Reuters, the drug was generally tolerated with the majority of adverse events mild to moderate, happening primarily on the day of dosing, and no severe safety issues or increases in suicidal thoughts observed by researchers.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by Reuters, which obtained comments from Definium Therapeutics about the LSD-based experimental drug. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.