Psychedelic drug MDMA faces FDA panel in bid to become first-of-a-kind PTSD medication

By MATTHEW PERRONE
AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health advisers are considering the first request to approve the mind-altering club drug MDMA as a treatment for PTSD. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration are scheduled to vote on the drug’s safety and effectiveness Tuesday afternoon. It potentially sets the stage for federal approval later this year. The MDMA application is part of a decadeslong effort by advocates to move psychedelic drugs into the medical mainstream. If approved, MDMA would be made available to certified doctors and therapists to be used in combination with talk therapy.