News 'Serious concerns' over TGA's decision making on landmark psilocybin, MDMA ruling

[thegreenhand]

'Serious concerns' over TGA's decision making on landmark psilocybin, MDMA ruling​

Annika Blau, Geoff Thompson
ABC Australia
17 Mar 2023

Excerpts:

In a leafy backyard in suburban Sydney, a father dives into his pool.

While this carefree scene might seem normal, for this man — who asked that we use a false name — it was unusual just six months ago.

Back then, Andrew was crippled by the symptoms of PTSD and associated physical pain: "I was almost non-functional and was not contributing to society or my family."

But that all changed with a course of psychedelic therapy, taken illegally through an underground therapist, on a daybed overlooking a valley in the bush.

As recently as October last year, the TGA ruled that there was insufficient evidence to down-schedule the drugs. But just months later, in February, it did a spectacular 180-degree turn and approved psychiatrists to use MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.

"There's an enormous pressure around from — I call them 'lobbyists' — who feel that these drugs should be introduced as soon as possible; that there's a huge demand for these drugs and that we are in the so-called mental health crisis and these drugs are going to have a profound effect upon the treatment of psychiatric illness in Australia. They may or may not be right, but certainly, I think they've had a very strong influence on the TGA and their decision-making."

 

[thegreenhand]

Long read, but it’s in depth journalism

@Tronica you may be interested in this... Mind Medicine Australia’s role in the TGA ruling is at the center of the article

 

[Tronica]

Yeah, read this earlier today. It’s fascinating. And highly unusual for TGA to be clearly so influenced.