Can a Company Patent the Basic Components of Psychedelic Therapy?

Shayla Love, with a thought-provoking article for VICE:

Graham Pechenik, a patent and intellectual property (IP) lawyer, recently tweeted about claims he found surprising in a pending application for psychedelic therapy using psilocybin, the hallucinogenic ingredient in magic mushrooms.

Claims are the meat and potatoes of a patent. They define the parameters and limitations of what is being claimed for an invention that an individual or organization wants to have ownership of.

That's why Pechenik felt moved to call out a patent application from Compass Pathways, a psychedelic mental health company that has previously garnered attention for both its promising results in the treatment of depression using psychedelics, as well as its transition from a charity to a for-profit company, its patent of a synthetic form of psilocybin, and having investors like Paypal founder Peter Thiel.

The patent application, filed in 2020, for “treatment of depression and other various disorders with psilocybin," includes claims involving rudimentary facets of psilocybin-assisted therapy like having "a room with a substantially non-clinical appearance.” Other claims found in the application: "the room comprises soft furniture,” “the room is decorated using muted colors,” “the room comprises a high-resolution sound system,” and “the room comprises a bed or a couch.

Some claims are about participant behaviors: “wherein the subject lies in the bed or on the couch” and “wherein the subject listens to music.” And some claims are simple actions from therapists: “the therapist provides reassuring physical contact,” “the therapist responds to the subject if the subject initiates conversation,” and “the therapist holds the hand, arm, or shoulder.”

Much of what the claims outline have been done—though not necessarily systematically or defined formally—throughout the history of psychedelic therapy in academic research centers, at retreats, and in underground settings. What does it mean for a company to try and include such claims in a patent application?

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A Clinical Trial Will Explore Treating Phantom Limb Pain With Psilocybin

Scott LaFee and Mario Aguilera, writing for UC San Diego Health about another interesting potential application for psychedelics:

The Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative (PHRI) at UC San Diego has received a $1.3 million grant from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation to fund a clinical trial investigating the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in treating phantom limb pain.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic compound produced by many species of fungus, including so-called “magic mushrooms.” Phantom limb pain is pain originating from parts of the body no longer present, such as an amputated arm or leg. It is a form of neuropathic pain that actually originates in the spinal cord and brain.

The new grant will fund the first randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of psilocybin in patients suffering from chronic phantom limb pain. The trial is also designed to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved, including possible alterations in brain circuitry.

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Several Drug Policy Reform Bills Pass Committee

2021 is shaping up to be another exciting year for drug policy reform; lawmakers on committees in five states voted in favor of six drug policy reform bills this week. Cannabis legalization efforts in Hawaii, Minnesota, New Mexico, and North Dakota passed, lawmakers in North Dakota also advanced a cannabis decriminalization bill, and a drug decrim bill in Washington made it out of the committee round.

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Compass Pathways Is Establishing a Virtual Drug Discovery Center

Sam Wood, writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer:

Jason Wallach has a vision. He sees Philadelphia becoming a center for psychedelic studies. From his laboratory at the University of the Sciences, Wallach is leading a network of national researchers delving into the mind-altering substances.

In August, Wallach paired with Compass Pathways, the mental health company backed by entrepreneur Peter Thiel, a founder of Paypal and Palantir Technologies.

Compass gave the researcher $500,000 to launch a Drug Discovery Center in West Philadelphia to investigate “new serotonergic compounds.” These substances work on a specific neuroreceptor in the brain, 5-HT2A,and include the active ingredients in psilocybin, DMT, mescaline, ibogaine and LSD.

Last week, Compass (NASDAQ: CMPS) announced it is building on its Wallach-led project to include researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW).

Compass appears to be introducing a new model for psychedelic research, where multiple physical locations collaborate on the same research projects together. Rather than thinking of this new Drug Discovery Center as being based in Philadelphia with satellite research centers in San Diego and Wisconsin, it seems like it’s more accurate to consider it as one single research center that is distributed across multiple locations virtually.

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MindMed’s LSD Neutralizer Study Has Begun

Psilocybin Alpha:

MindMed has commenced a study for its “LSD neutralizer technology,” which it hopes will be effective in shortening and even stopping the effects of an LSD trip during LSD assisted therapy sessions.

In collaboration with the Liechti Lab at University Hospital Basel, a Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the effect of ketanserin for this purpose.

MindMed hopes the study will be completed by the end of 2021.

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