Numinus, Syreon Progressing Toward Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy for SUD

Numinus Wellness and global contract research organization Syreon Corp. announced this week that “significant progress” has been made on their compassionate access trial on the use of psilocybin-assisted motivational enhancement therapy to treat substance use disorders.

The project, known as Psilocybin-Research Intervention with Motivation Enhancement (PRIME), was first announced in November and is scheduled to take place in Vancouver, and will include 30 participants who have been diagnosed with opioid, stimulant and/or alcohol use disorders. Numinus said in a news release that the protocol for the study has been finalized, with a structure that is consistent with established best practices for psilocybin-assisted treatment.

Psilocybin will be administered within the context of a behavioral intervention that consists of motivational enhancement therapy — “a structured counseling approach based on principles of motivational psychology and is designed to produce rapid, internally motivated change,” the company said in the release.

The PRIME research project will be helmed by Lindsay Mackay, MD, CCFP, a clinician-scientist and addictions specialist who will serve as principal investigator, and Elena Argento, PhD, MPH, who will serve as co-principal investigator.