Study of Safety and Effects of MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment of PTSD (Canada)

An Open-Label, Multi-Site Phase 2 Study of the Safety and Effect of Manualized MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Severe Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Canada)

This multi-site, open-label, Phase 2, lead-in study assesses the safety and effect of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy in participants diagnosed with at least severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therapy teams that have been identified and trained to work on the sponsor's planned Phase 3 studies will treat at least one open-label participant in this study. A flexible dose of MDMA (100 to 125 mg), followed by a supplemental half-dose, unless contraindicated, is administered during the Treatment Period with manualized therapy in three open-label monthly Experimental Sessions. This ~12-week Treatment Period is preceded by three Preparatory Sessions. During the Treatment Period, each Experimental Session is followed by three Integrative Sessions of non-drug psychotherapy. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM 5 (CAPS-5) total severity scores from Baseline to Visit 19. The secondary outcome measure is the change in the customized version of the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) for PTSD for the MAPS studies total scores from Baseline to Visit 19.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Therapy; Drug: Midomafetamine

Detailed Description

PTSD is a stress-related psychiatric condition that may occur following a traumatic event such as war, disaster, sexual abuse, violence, terrorism, and accidents. PTSD negatively impacts a person's daily life, resulting in relationship difficulties, difficulty in finding and maintaining a job, reduced cognitive and psychosocial functioning, substance abuse, high-cost healthcare use, and increased depression and suicide risk. Available PTSD treatments, including medications and therapy, effectively treat only a fraction of people who try them for adequate dose and duration. People with PTSD can be treated with psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies. In the past decade, there has been a growing amount of research into medications and other methods that may augment the effectiveness of psychotherapy for PTSD

3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine is a drug that releases serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain and indirectly increases levels of the neurohormones oxytocin, arginine vasopressin and cortisol. The combined neurobiological effects of MDMA increase compassion, reduce defenses and fear of emotional injury, and enhance communication and introspection. MDMA produces anxiolytic and prosocial effects, which counteract avoidance and hyperarousal in the context of therapy. A combined treatment of MDMA and psychotherapy may be especially useful for treating PTSD.

This multi-site, open-label, Phase 2, lead-in study assesses the safety and effect of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted psychotherapy in participants diagnosed with at least severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therapy teams that have been identified and trained to work on the sponsor's planned Phase 3 studies will treat at least one open-label participant in this study. A flexible dose of MDMA (100 to 125 mg), followed by a supplemental half-dose, unless contraindicated, is administered during the Treatment Period with manualized therapy in three open-label monthly Experimental Sessions. This ~12-week Treatment Period is preceded by three Preparatory Sessions. During the Treatment Period, each Experimental Session is followed by three Integrative Sessions of non-drug psychotherapy. The primary outcome measure is the change in the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM 5 (CAPS-5) total severity scores from Baseline to Visit 19. The secondary outcome measure is the change in the customized version of the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) for PTSD for the MAPS studies total scores from Baseline to Visit 19.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 4
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V64 1H
      • British Columbia Centre on Substance Abuse
  • Quebec
    • Montréal, Quebec, Canada, H2W 1Y9
      • Dr. Simon Amar, LLC

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Are at least 18 years old
• Are fluent in speaking and reading the predominantly used or recognized language of the study site
• Agree to have study visits recorded, including Experimental Sessions, Independent Rater assessments, and non-drug psychotherapy sessions
• Must provide a contact (relative, spouse, close friend or other caregiver) who is willing and able to be reached by the investigators in the event of a participant becoming suicidal or unreachable.
• Must agree to inform the investigators within 48 hours of any medical conditions and procedures.
• If of childbearing potential, must have a negative pregnancy test at study entry and prior to each Experimental Session, and must agree to use adequate birth control through 10 days after the last Experimental Session.
• Must not participate in any other interventional clinical trials during the duration of the study,
• Must be willing to remain overnight at the study site after each Experimental Session and be driven home after, and commit to medication dosing, therapy, and study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

• Are not able to give adequate informed consent
• Have uncontrolled hypertension
• Have a marked baseline prolongation of QT/QTc interval (e.g., repeated demonstration of a QTc interval >450 milliseconds [ms] corrected by Bazett's formula)
• Have a history of additional risk factors for Torsade de pointes (e.g., heart failure, hypokalemia, family history of Long QT Syndrome)
• Have evidence or history of significant medical disorders
• Have symptomatic liver disease
• Have history of hyponatremia or hyperthermia
• Weigh less than 48 kilograms (kg)
• Are pregnant or nursing, or are of childbearing potential and are not practicing an effective means of birth control.
• Must not be abusing illegal drugs

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: MDMA-assisted therapy; Three sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy with flexible dose of MDMA from 100 to 125 mg and optional supplemental dose half that of initial dose 1.5 to 2 hours later	Behavioral: Therapy; Non-directive therapy; Other Names: MDMA-assisted therapy; Drug: Midomafetamine; Three sessions of MDMA-assisted therapy with flexible dose of MDMA from 100 to 125 mg and optional supplemental dose half that of initial dose 1.5 to 2 hours later; Other Names: MDMA; 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline to Primary Endpoint in Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Total Severity Score	The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) is a clinician administered and scored assessment of PTSD symptoms via structured interview based upon PTSD diagnosis in DSM-5. It contains symptom subscales, a CAPS-5 total severity score, and a diagnostic score. The total severity score is a sum of symptom frequency and intensity scores for the subscales B (re-experiencing), C (avoidance) and D (hypervigilance) and ranges from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms.	Baseline (Visit 3) to Primary Endpoint (Visit 19,18 weeks post enrollment)
Baseline Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Total Severity Scores	The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) is a clinician administered and scored assessment of PTSD symptoms via structured interview based upon PTSD diagnosis in DSM-5. It contains symptom subscales, a CAPS-5 total severity score, and a diagnostic score. The total severity score is a sum of symptom frequency and intensity scores for the subscales B (re-experiencing), C (avoidance) and D (hypervigilance) and ranges from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms.	Baseline (Visit 3)
Primary Endpoint Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) Total Severity Score	The Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) is a clinician administered and scored assessment of PTSD symptoms via structured interview based upon PTSD diagnosis in DSM-5. It contains symptom subscales, a CAPS-5 total severity score, and a diagnostic score. The total severity score is a sum of symptom frequency and intensity scores for the subscales B (re-experiencing), C (avoidance) and D (hypervigilance) and ranges from 0 to 136, with higher scores indicating greater severity of PTSD symptoms.	Visit 19 (18 weeks post-enrollment)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change From Baseline to Primary Endpoint in Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) Total Score	The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) is a self-report assessment of functional impairment. The reporting period for the adapted SDS refers to the past month. The items indicate degree of impairment in the domains of work/school, social life, and home life, with response options based on an eleven-point scale (0=not at all to 10=extremely), with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment.	Baseline (Visit 3) to Primary Endpoint (Visit 19, 18 weeks post-enrollment)
Baseline Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) Total Score	The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) is a self-report assessment of functional impairment. The reporting period for the adapted SDS refers to the past month. The items indicate degree of impairment in the domains of work/school, social life, and home life, with response options based on an eleven-point scale (0=not at all to 10=extremely), with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment.	Baseline (Visit 3)
Primary Endpoint Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) Total Score	The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS for PTSD for MAPS) is a self-report assessment of functional impairment. The reporting period for the adapted SDS refers to the past month. The items indicate degree of impairment in the domains of work/school, social life, and home life, with response options based on an eleven-point scale (0=not at all to 10=extremely), with higher scores indicating greater functional impairment.	Visit 19 (18 weeks post-enrollment)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lykos Therapeutics
• Investigators: Study Director: Michael Mithoefer, MAPS Public Benefit Corp.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 13, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 4, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): June 4, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 23, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 30, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): April 2, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): January 24, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: PTSD; MDMA; Therapy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Adrenergic Agents; Neurotransmitter Agents; Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action; Psychotropic Drugs; Neurotransmitter Uptake Inhibitors; Membrane Transport Modulators; Serotonin Agents; Hallucinogens; Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
• Other Study ID Numbers: MP-17

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: We will share outcome data appearing in any published reports upon request.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data and study-related documents will be available wehn all participants have completed the study
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Interested persons should correspond with the central contact for study.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: Yes