Single DMT dose eases treatment-resistant depression in trial
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- DMT combined with psychotherapy produced significant antidepressant effects lasting three to six months in a 34-person trial of patients with moderate-to-severe treatment-resistant depression, reported in Nature Medicine.
- Dr David Erritzoe of Imperial College London, the lead investigator, said the trial showed an "immediate antidepressant effect that is significantly sustained over a three-month period" from just one drug session embedded in psychological support.
- The trial protocol gave half the participants a single 21.5mg IV dose of DMT over 10 minutes while the other half received a placebo; all received psychotherapy and follow-up assessments.
- A second stage found no additional benefit from a second DMT dose, suggesting a single session may suffice for treatment.
- Cybin UK, a neuropsychiatric firm, designed, funded and sponsored the trial — the same company developing the DMT therapy.
- An estimated 100 million people worldwide have treatment-resistant depression, defined as major depressive disorder unresponsive to at least two antidepressants; about half are unable to perform routine daily tasks.
- DMT induces a roughly 25-minute trip — far shorter than the hours-long psilocybin experience — which could make clinic delivery easier, though patients may need more recovery support from intense sessions, and the Feilding Commission was set up last year to guide safe rollout amid private-clinic commercial concerns.
Why it matters: Cybin UK, the firm developing the drug, designed, funded and sponsored the 34-person trial, tempering how much weight the result carries. But for an estimated 100 million people with treatment-resistant depression — half unable to perform daily tasks — a single 10-minute infusion could prove dramatically more practical than multi-hour psilocybin sessions if regulators approve it.
