U.S. Backs Ibogaine Trials; AstraZeneca Opens Cambridge R&D — SkimNews
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- The Trump administration is advancing the first government-funded clinical trials of ibogaine to treat opioid addiction and PTSD, following an April executive order that dedicated $50 million to federal ibogaine research.
- The FDA opened a public docket seeking feedback on trial design, dose selection, patient eligibility, safety monitoring, study-stopping rules, and oversight, with a Nov. 20 comment deadline.
- Experts and veterans have called for strict safety standards on psychedelic treatments ahead of the trials, prompting the FDA's public-comment process.
- AstraZeneca opened a new R&D center in Cambridge, Mass., spanning 570,000 square feet of lab and office space over 18 stories in the Kendall Square biotech cluster.
- The Cambridge facility is the centerpiece of a $1 billion Massachusetts investment program, part of a broader commitment first announced in 2024 and expanded to around $50 billion last year.
Why it matters: Veterans and opioid addiction patients gain a potential federally backed treatment pathway, with the Nov. 20 FDA comment window shaping trial safety rules. AstraZeneca's $1 billion Cambridge hub deepens the U.K. drugmaker's U.S. R&D commitment in a top biotech cluster.
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