Psychedelics Briefs: Numinus Wellness, Awakn Life Sciences

Numinus Wellness announced on Wednesday that it has finalized the study design and protocol for a Phase 1 clinical trial on PSYBINA RX, a naturally derived psilocybin extract, advancing the company’s investigation of its first proprietary psilocybin product.

The trial will compare the formulation with synthetic psilocybin as a baseline comparator, with brain scans visualizing differences in neuroactivity. Sharan Sidhu, Numinus Bioscience science officer and general manager, said in a news release that PSYBINA RX is being developed to reduce production costs for therapeutic products, thereby making psychedelic medicine more accessible.

 The trial will be conducted at the company’s clinical site in Vancouver with 14 health volunteer participants.

Awakn Facility to Begin Ketamine-Assisted Therapy in UK

Awakn Life Sciences, a biotechnology firm developing psychedelic therapeutics to treat addiction, announced that its Awakn Clinics Bristol facility has received approval from the Care Quality Commission, England’s independent regulator of health and social care services, to begin ketamine-assisted psychotherapy treatments this month.

Treatments at the clinic for mental health disorders and addictions will be led by on-site psychiatrists. Awakn still must obtain a final schedule 2 license for its ketamine treatment from the British government’s Home Office, but said in a release that it expects to obtain the license “in the near future.”

Following Bristol, 2 additional Awakn facilities in London and Oslo are expected to be operational this year.