Study demonstrates feasibility of simultaneous administration of COMP360 psilocybin in a controlled setting to healthy participants with 1:1 therapist support
London, UK - 4 January 2022
COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) ("COMPASS"), a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health, shared results today of a phase I study showing the feasibility of administering COMP360 psilocybin to up to six healthy participants simultaneously, with 1:1 support. The study, peer-reviewed and published in The Journal of Psychopharmacology as "The effects of psilocybin on cognitive and emotional functions in healthy participants: results from a phase I, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving simultaneous psilocybin administration and preparation1", was conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London in 2019. The results also showed there were no short or long term detrimental effects on thinking patterns or processing of emotions.
The study looked at the effects of two doses of COMP360 psilocybin (10mg and 25mg), compared with placebo, in 89 healthy male and female adult volunteers. The participants were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive 10mg COMP360 (n=30), 25mg COMP360 (n=30), or placebo (n=29). The investigational drug was administered simultaneously to up to six participants, who all received 1:1 psychological support from trained therapists throughout the session, which lasted about six hours. The study involved a 12 week follow-up period. There were no serious adverse events and COMP360 psilocybin was found to be well-tolerated with no clinically-relevant negative effects on cognitive function.
Dr James Rucker, the study's lead author from King's IoPPN and honorary consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, said: "This rigorous study is an important first demonstration that the simultaneous administration of psilocybin is worth exploring further. If we think about how psilocybin therapy (if approved) may be delivered in the future, it's important to demonstrate the feasibility and the safety of giving it to more than one person at the same time, so we can think about how we scale the treatment up. This therapy has promise for people living with severe mental health problems, like treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and PTSD. They can be extremely disabling, distressing and disruptive, but current treatment options for these conditions are ineffective or partially effective for many people."
Dr Guy Goodwin, Chief Medical Officer, COMPASS Pathways, said: "This study was an early part of our clinical development programme for COMP360 psilocybin therapy. It explored the safety and feasibility of simultaneous psilocybin administration, with 1:1 support, in healthy participants, and provided a strong foundation to which we have now added positive results from our phase IIb trial in 233 patients with TRD, and from our open-label study of patients taking SSRI antidepressants alongside psilocybin therapy. We are looking forward to meeting with the FDA early in the year to finalise plans for our phase III programme, which we expect to begin in the third quarter 2022."
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?1The effects of psilocybin on cognitive and emotional functions in healthy participants: results from a phase 1, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving simultaneous psilocybin administration and preparation) (James J Rucker, Lindsey Marwood, Riikka-Liisa J Ajantaival, Catherine Bird, Hans Eriksson, John Harrison, Molly Lennard-Jones, Sunil Mistry, Francesco Saldarini, Susan Stansfield, Sara J Tai, Sam Williams, Neil Weston, Ekaterina Malievskaia, and Allan H Young) was published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
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These risks, uncertainties, and other factors include, among others: preclinical research and clinical development is lengthy and uncertain, and therefore our preclinical studies and clinical trials may be delayed or terminated, or may never advance to or in the clinic; and those risks and uncertainties described under the heading "Risk Factors" in COMPASS's annual report on Form 20-F filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on 9 March 2021 and in subsequent filings made by COMPASS with the SEC, which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by law, COMPASS disclaims any intention or responsibility for updating or revising any forward-looking statements contained in this press release in the event of new information, future developments or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are based on COMPASS's current expectations and speak only as of the date hereof.
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