Trials testing MDMA as a treatment for alcoholism have begun
Imperial College London is heading up the project
A long time after it was revealed MDMA would be tried as a treatment for alcoholism, the clinical trials have finally kicked off.
Imperial College London is leading the project, with researchers undertaking a number of therapy sessions. In one of the six weekly sessions, those taking part will be given MDMA.
We reported on the trials back in July and they were meant to happen within two months. However, a senior researcher from ICL said numerous problems had been met.
Dr Ben Sessa said: “The idea of taking MDMA just twice and then not having to be on SSRIs for the rest of your life is not in the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. They’re not going to put money into a drug like MDMA, which then cures the patient and gets them off all their drugs.”
Speaking at Breaking Convention in London last year, Sessa called out current treatments for alcoholism as "really poor".
It's hoped that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy could come into play by 2021 in the United States.
[Via: RT]
Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter
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