Mind Cure Developing Synthetic Ibogaine for Research

Mind Cure Health this month announced that it has completed the first stage of manufacturing pharmaceutical-grade synthetic ibogaine it is developing to be used in clinical research.

The company said in a news release that it has completed chemistry and route scouting and has successfully manufactured the synthetic. As the project moves into its second phase, Mind Cure says it will focus on scaling up its operations and assessing the quality of the synthetic ibogaine when it is produced in large quantities to determine the feasibility of commercial-scale manufacturing.

“Ibogaine offers incredible therapeutic potential to treat addiction and shows promise in addressing other brain injuries, and we are very excited about the potential to manufacture and provide a high-quality synthetic product for promising research avenues, without impacting the natural supply of this amazing psychedelic that needs to be protected,” Mind Cure president and CEO Kelsey Ramsden said in a statement.

Research has shown that ibogaine has the potential to help repair and rewire addiction-related neural pathways. Mind Cure noted in its news release that other evidence has merited further research into ibogaine’s ability to also help Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s patients.

Ibogaine is derived from the roots of the iboga, a rare shrub. Development of a synthetic ibogaine that can be produced at scale, the company says, will help overcome challenges created by the scarcity of natural ibogaine and create opportunities for more clinical trials and eventually use by clinicians providing psychedelic therapy.