US health authorities have rejected an application for the recreational drug MDMA to be used as an aid to sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
MDMA, known as ecstasy or molly, has been suggested as having therapeutic benefits for people suffering from severe stress, but an advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) overwhelmingly rejected its approval.
Drug developer Lykos Therapeutics proposed the drug as treatment in combination with therapy, but the panel voted 10-1 against with nine of the advisors saying there was no evidence of efficacy in PTSD patients.
Other concerns included how long any benefit would last, how the studies were designed and potential side effects.
“It seems like there are so many problems with the data," Dr Melissa Decker Barone, a psychologist with the Department of Veterans Affairs, told AP.
"There’s just a lot of questions I would have about how effective the treatment is."
A final ruling is due on 11 August and while the FDA is not bound by the advisory panel’s recommendation, it normally follows its indications.