Open Label Multi-Site Study of Safety and Effects of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment of PTSD With Optional fMRI Sub-Study

Summary

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PTSD is a serious debilitating disorder that negatively impacts a person's daily life. PTSD is a stress-related psychiatric condition that may occur following a traumatic event such as war, disaster, sexual abuse, violence, terrorism, and accidents. PTSD negatively impacts a person's daily life, res...

PTSD is a serious debilitating disorder that negatively impacts a person's daily life. PTSD is a stress-related psychiatric condition that may occur following a traumatic event such as war, disaster, sexual abuse, violence, terrorism, and accidents. PTSD negatively impacts a person's daily life, resulting in relationship difficulties, difficulty in finding and maintaining a job, reduced cognitive and psychosocial functioning, substance abuse, high-cost healthcare use, and increased depression and suicide risk. Available PTSD treatments, including medications and therapy, effectively treat only a fraction of people who try them for adequate dose and duration. People with PTSD can be treated with psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies. In the past decade, there has been a growing amount of research into medications and other methods that may augment the effectiveness of psychotherapy for PTSD. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine is a drug that releases serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain and indirectly increases levels of the neurohormones oxytocin, arginine vasopressin and cortisol. The combined neurobiological effects of MDMA increase compassion, reduce defenses and fear of emotional injury, and enhance communication and introspection. MDMA produces anxiolytic and prosocial effects, which counteract avoidance and hyperarousal in the context of therapy. A combined treatment of MDMA and psychotherapy may be especially useful for treating PTSD. This multicenter, open-label, lead-in study assesses the safety and effectiveness of MDMA- assisted psychotherapy in participants diagnosed with at least severe PTSD. All safety data will be included in the global safety database for MDMA maintained by MAPS. Some sites will participate in the imaging sub-study. A flexible dose of MDMA, followed by a supplemental half-dose unless contraindicated, is administered during the Treatment Period with manualized psychotherapy in two open-label Experimental Sessions spaced approximately a month apart. This 8-week Treatment Period is preceded by three Preparatory Sessions. During the Treatment Period, each Experimental Session is followed by three Integrative Sessions of non-drug psychotherapy. Exploratory measures will address specific symptoms or behavior that is sometimes related to PTSD. Drug safety will be assessed by measuring blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature during experimental sessions, collecting adverse events and measuring suicidal thoughts or behaviors with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (CSSRS). This study will compare the effects of two open-label manualized Experimental Sessions of psychotherapy assisted by flexible doses of MDMA. Initial doses per Experimental Session include 80 mg or 120 mg of MDMA compounded with lactose, followed 1.5 to 2 hours later by a supplemental half-dose (40 mg or 60 mg). Total amounts of MDMA to be administered per Experimental Session range from 80 mg to 180 mg. This study will be the first multi-site study of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in Europe and will explore reproducibility of findings from FDA-regulated trials in a multi-site format to further confirm the Phase 3 study design.

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