European Union funds groundbreaking research into psychedelic therapy
PAREA ... the Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliiance ... reported earlier this week: "A European consortium of 19 partners has been awarded €6,5 million by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme to study psilocybin to treat psychological distress in people with progressive incurable illnesses requiring palliative care. This is the first time the EU is funding a multisite clinical study into psychedelic-assisted therapy. PAREA played an instrumental role in making this project possible and will be involved in its execution. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) PsyPal, coordinated by the University Medical Centre Groningen in the Netherlands, and in collaboration with HumanKindLabs, marks the firstever European grant to fund clinical research into psychedelic-assisted therapy. The trial will investigate whether psilocybin therapy can help ease psychological and existential distress in patients suffering from one of four different progressive diseases: the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as MND), and atypical Parkinson’s disease (APD). Commencing in early 2024, over one hundred patients will be treated across four distinct clinical sites in Europe, each focusing on a specific condition: COPD at the University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands, APD at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal, MS at the National Institute of Mental Health in the Czech Republic, and ALS, jointly at the University of Copenhagen and the Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark. Participants will undergo two therapy sessions, receiving psilocybin (the active ingredient in psychedelic or ‘magic’ mushrooms) or a placebo. Previous pilot studies have shown substantial reduction in depressed mood and anxiety in people living with a terminal cancer diagnosis, with sometimes persistent benefits. PsyPal marks the first clinical trial studying the safety and effects of psilocybin in non-oncology palliatively-treated patients. Robert Schoevers, head of psychiatry at the UMCG and principal investigator of PsyPal notes: “We are eager to see if we can ease the suffering of these patients whilst also examining longer-term patient and family outcomes of this treatment, something that often gets overlooked but that is of enormous importance.” European funding This first-of-its-kind clinical trial is fully funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union's key funding programme for research and innovation. Horizon Europe aims to foster collaboration, bolster the impact of research and innovation, and address global challenges through the facilitation of EU policies. Schoevers says, "We are absolutely thrilled that the EU is supporting this ambitious collaborative study. There is growing recognition that psychedelic treatments may help patients for whom alternatives are not effective, and I am very glad we are receiving support from this highly prestigious funding program. It really helps to strengthen the collaboration between researchers from different countries and disciplines, focusing on potentially transformative interventions for severe, currently treatment-resistant mental disorders.”
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