MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Shows Promise in Treatment for Alcohol Addiction

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for the treatment of alcohol use disorder was found to improve psychosocial functioning with no unexpected adverse events in a clinical trial conducted by London-based Awakn Life Sciences.

Results of the study were published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Over the course of 8 weeks, 14 participants in the study received a 187.5-mg dose of MDMA at each of two sessions, with psychological support being provided before, during, and after each session. Safety, tolerability, and psychological and physiological outcome measures were assessed during the trial. Alcohol use, mental health, and functioning were tracked in the 9 months that followed detoxification.

At the 9-month mark post-detox, participants reported consuming an average of 18.7 units of alcohol per week, down from an average of 130.6 units per week pre-detox.

Awakn said in a news release announcing results of the study that it plans to move forward with a Phase IIb study—a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to further investigate the safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for alcohol use disorder.