Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSX:NUMI, OTC:LKYSF) announced that it has received approval from Health Canada for its experiential training study that will test the safety and clinical efficacy of whole Psilocybe cubensis tea for therapeutic use, and enable practitioners to further their understanding of psychedelic-assisted therapy through experiential training.
The clinical trial, formally titled ‘A Phase 1, Open-Label, Single-Arm Study to Evaluate Psilocybin Experiential Training in Healthy Volunteers and Expand Knowledge and Qualifications of Therapists Planning to Conduct Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy (NUMT2)’, will initially be conducted at Numinus' clinic in Vancouver, and will begin selecting volunteers in the next several weeks, the company said.
"We're thrilled that Health Canada has provided us with their prompt approval and support in starting this important clinical trial," Numinus CEO and founder Payton Nyquvest, said in a statement.
"As the first clinical trial to study the safety and clinical efficacy of whole psilocybe mushrooms in their naturalistic form, we expect this data will be instrumental in providing health regulators with the information they need in order to make decisions around expanding access to psilocybin-assisted therapies using Psilocybe mushrooms," he added.
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Numinus said study subjects for the clinical trial will be selected from practitioners who have trained or are currently training to provide psilocybin-assisted therapy through the company’s Practitioner Training Program or other approved training programs. Initial results from the study are expected to be published in the second half of 2023, it added.
The protocol for the clinical trial will include three sessions per study participant: one preparatory session, one dosing session, and one integration session, which will be followed by an observation period and participant interviews and questionnaires.
Over the course of the clinical trial, each experiential training study volunteer will participate both as a study participant receiving the protocol and as an observer for another participant's sessions, overseen by an experienced practitioner.
"We're honored to offer this unique experiential clinical trial opportunity alongside our well-regarded psychedelic-assisted therapy training programs," Numinus chief science officer Paul Thielking commented.
"We recognize that one of the challenges of the psychedelic-therapy industry is having enough properly trained administers of the therapy. By offering experiential training opportunities for practitioners interested in providing psilocybin-assisted therapies, Numinus will help ensure that enough sufficiently trained therapists are available to deliver these important mental health treatments in the future," Thielking added.
The company noted that the clinical trial will use Numinus Bioscience's EnfiniTea, a whole mushroom Psilocybe tea product delivering 25mg of psilocybin to patients when administered as directed, for trial dosing. EnfiniTea is produced using Numinus' own validated strain of Psilocybe cubensis BP-Star, and is uniquely shelf stable, consistently dosed and economical to produce. The product has also been submitted to Health Canada to be included on the psilocybin supplier list for the federal Special Access Program, through which healthcare providers can apply to provide psilocybin-assisted therapy, among other psychedelic-assisted therapies, to patients with demonstrable need.
Numinus Wellness helps people to heal and be well through the development and delivery of innovative mental health care and access to safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Contact the author at stephen.gunnion@proactiveinvestors.com