Published: Nov. 1, 2022
By Becca Clarkson –
CTVNewsVancouver.ca Reporter –
A Vancouver-based pharmaceutical company will run the first take home psilocybin clinical trial in North America.
Health Canada has approved phase two of the trial by Apex Labs, which will evaluate the safety and efficacy of its low dose, multi-dose product APEX-52 in treating depression in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Veterans Affairs Canada estimates up to 10 per cent of war-zone veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD. That’s twice the amount of diagnoses the general adult population has received, according to Statistics Canada.
Apex Labs CEO Tyler Powell says many veterans are already self-medicating with micro-doses of unregulated psilocybin products
“Our goal is to expand access to pharmaceutical grade drug products through regulated systems, providing transparency and support for patients in need,” Tyler said in a statement released Tuesday.
The Oct. 24 approval comes nearly 11 months after Health Canada broadened the Special Access Program to include MDMA and psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in “magic mushrooms” that research shows can have antidepressant effects.
This exemption means that health care professionals can use psilocybin on a case-to-case basis if they think a patient would benefit.