Senators Press FDA To Approve MDMA As PTSD Treatment, Stressing US Vets’ Suicide Rates As Aug 11 Decision Looms
In another bipartisan effort, U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), along with 15 colleagues called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to base its upcoming decision on MDMA-Assisted Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on solid scientific evidence. This therapy could be pivotal in addressing the mental health crisis among U.S. veterans.
By August 11, the FDA is expected to decide whether MDMA – the chemical found in ecstasy or molly – can be prescribed as a treatment for PTSD.
In a letter addressed to FDA commissioner Robert Califf, the senators emphasized the dire need for new PTSD treatments, pointing out that the last FDA-approved medication for PTSD came nearly 25 years ago. “Existing treatments and medicines for PTSD…have not decreased the …