MD being used to treat PTSD patients in Switzerland...

[PingoTango]

From Sky News:



Ecstasy Trials Approved

Updated: 10:39, Thursday February 22, 2007

Illegal dance drug ecstasy is being used to treat patients suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Authorities in Switzerland have approved the use of the drug - officially known as MDMA - for trials.
It is the first time they have given consent for the controversial treatment.
Around 12 volunteers will take part in the trials, which will end next year, and some have already completed their stint.
Peter Oehen, who is leading the scheme, said the drug would "produce a change of consciousness, a feeling of wellbeing, reduction of fear and help them face up to the very difficult feelings associated with trauma, such as anxiety".
Ecstasy has been linked to a number of deaths over the years.
But experts believe controlled testing - for over 18s - will be safe, with no long-term damage.
The Swiss trial is being run alongside tests in the US, which have reportedly had favourable results.

[Bajeda]

Originally Posted by MAPS MDMA News

September 12, 2006. Dr. Peter Oehen's MAPS-sponsored MDMA/PTSD protocol has full government approval and the first subject began the screening process last week. The Ethics Committee (the Swiss IRB equivalent, which previously approved Dr. Oehen's MDMA/PTSD protocol) met on September 7 to review an addendum to the protocol, and we just learned today, September 12, that the IRB has granted approval, meaning that the study can now officially be initiated! The addendum is for an associated study by Dr. Franz Vollenweider, University of Zurich, that will examine subjects before and after treatment with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Dr. Vollenweider is going to measure several physiological factors that have been associated with PTSD (startle response, heart rate reactivity) as well as various EEG parameters to see if the MDMA-assisted psychotherapy results in any changes in these measures. The first applicant for the study will be administered baseline CAPS and PDS tomorrow, and, now that we have full approval, we hope to report shortly that the first subject has been treated with MDMA-assisted psychotherapy.

Originally Posted by MAPS MDMA News

June 17, 2006. Switzerland's DEA equivalent, the BAG, has officially approved Dr. Peter Oehen's MAPS-sponsored study evaluating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as a treatment for subjects suffering from treatment-resistant Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Permission from BAG was the final regulatory hurdle, since Dr. Oehen has already received approval from the Ethics Committee (Switzerland's IRB equivalent) and SwissMedic (Switzerland's FDA equivalent).

This has been set up for a while, just to let people know. Switzerland and Israel have been allowing research to go on for the time being, and hopefully further in the future. Still nice to highlight it though, didn't notice there was little metnion of this in Drug News though, even though news articles about certain aspects of MDMA research have been published and linked to before.



BajEdit:

August 5, 2006. The Israeli Import Permit and the Swiss Export Permit have now been approved. On Thursday, August 3rd, in the midst of war, about 5 grams of MDMA arrived in Israel for MAPS' MDMA/PTSD study, imported into Israel from Switzerland. This study has full government approval and will be initiated in Fall 2006.

June 7, 2006. Switzerland's FDA equivalent, SwissMedic, has now fully approved Dr. Peter Oehen's MAPS-sponsored MDMA/PTSD study. The protocol design had already been approved, and earlier this week we received approval for the source of the MDMA itself, which MAPS is purchasing from a Swiss manufacturer. Now that Dr. Oehen has received permission from SwissMedic and an Ethics Committee (the Swiss IRB equivalent), the only regulatory hurdle remaining is licensing from BAG, the Swiss DEA equivalent, which is expected within a month. Initiation of Dr. Oehen's study will take place shortly thereafter.
Approval from SwissMedic of the source of the MDMA for the Swiss MDMA/PTSD study will now enable MAPS to move forward with the export of MDMA from Switzerland to Israel. The import/export of the MDMA is the last regulatory step in the initiation of Dr. Moshe Kotler's MAPS-sponsored MDMA/PTSD research at Beer Yaakov Mental Health Center in Tel Aviv, in subjects with war and terrorism-related PTSD.