President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week directing the FDA and other federal agencies to speed research and loosen restrictions on psychedelics, a class of hallucinogenic drugs which remain illegal under federal law.
On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced regulatory actions to accelerate the development of new treatments for serious mental illness, including depression. These steps include supporting the development of serotonin-2A agonists and related products, including psychedelic drugs.
As part of this effort, the FDA granted a quick review of three experimental psychedelic drugs meant to treat major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The agency stated this represents a big shift toward supporting psychedelic-based medicines for treatment-resistant depression, PTSD and substance use disorders.