Lykos Therapeutics, with over 30 years of preparation and a $250 million investment, aimed to be the first to bring a psychedelic drug, MDMA-assisted therapy, to federal regulation for treating PTSD. This treatment was considered promising, especially for veterans, as shown in a recent public hearing where many shared positive outcomes. However, serious allegations arose: skeptics labeled Lykos a 'therapy cult' and accused it of participant abuse while presenting dubious claims. Experts opposed to Lykos, lacking medical credentials, were tied to an organization fighting the commercialization of psychedelics, thus further clouding the company's trial integrity.
At a pivotal public hearing last summer, two dozen scientists, doctors and trauma survivors told an F.D.A. advisory panel how MDMA-assisted therapy had brought marked relief from a mental health condition associated with high rates of suicide, especially among veterans.
Skeptics with disturbing accusations claimed that Lykos was a therapy cult, alleging that participants in clinical trials experienced widespread abuse and adverse events.
The most significant harms in Lykos's clinical trials were not caused by MDMA, but by the people who were entrusted to supervise its administration.
Dr. Devenot and six others presented themselves as experts in the field of psychedelics, but none had expertise in medicine or therapy.
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