What the latest development means: Definium says LSD-based pill reduces anxiety in late-stage study

What the latest development means: Definium says LSD-based pill reduces anxiety in late-stage study

Definium Therapeutics said on Wednesday its LSD-based ​experimental pill significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in a late-stage study, meeting ‌the trial’s main goal and sending the drug developer’s ​shares up more than 20% premarket.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing ⁠federal agencies to speed up access to research and treatments based on psychedelic drugs for serious mental health conditions. In April, U.S. The trial is Definium’s second late-stage success for DT120, following a positive readout in a depression ​study in June.

The ‌benefit emerged as early as two days after dosing and lasted throughout the 12-week study.

RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams said the data exceeded Wall Street’s expectations and the efficacy seen with other ​therapies for the disease. No new drug has been approved for the condition in nearly two decades, according to Brian Barnett, a Cleveland Clinic psychiatrist who ‌worked on the study.