MindMed says new study data highlights effectiveness of personalized MDMA dosing regime

Mind Medicine (MindMed) Inc (NEO:MMED) (OTCQB:MMEDF) (FRA:MMQ) published new data from its MDMA study on Monday that revealed the dosage can be optimized based on known predictors like a person’s age and weight. 

The study, which took place at the University Hospital Basel Liechti Lab, in Basel, Switzerland, provided the first scientific data for predicting responses to MDMA and optimizing dosing. 

MindMed told investors that personally-tailored dosing may maximize the potential beneficial therapeutic effects while reducing adverse responses when treating medical conditions. 

READ: MindMed has strong cash balance of US$161M to advance its drug development pipeline

Additional findings revealed that the dose of MDMA per kilogram of bodyweight best predicted the MDMA concentrations in the body and helped determine the acute subjective response.

Genetic testing of the drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP2D6 is useful to adjust the dose of MDMA, according to a statement.

Data also indicates that people with low levels of CYP2D6 activity have higher MDMA plasma concentrations and may experience more subjective MDMA effects, meaning that they could benefit from a “moderate” dose reduction.

Revealing findings

Personality types may also play a role in how people experience MDMA, the study revealed. People with a greater personality trait of ”openness to a new experience” showed greater feelings of closeness and positive drug effects acutely induced by MDMA, while persons with personality traits of “increased neuroticism” or anxiety were both more likely to experience fear of ego dissolution and losing control. Similarly, more feelings of anxiety and depression in a person just before MDMA administration predicted more anxiety after MDMA administration.

Gender is not a factor – women and men showed comparable MDMA effects if differences in body weight are considered in the dosing of MDMA.

Finally, the study indicated that previous minimal MDMA use, defined as previously using MDMA up to five times, did not influence the MDMA effect.

Data were derived from 194 MDMA administrations in 10 randomized placebo-controlled studies in healthy subjects with nearly no past MDMA experience.

First personalized MDMA study

“Very clearly, the dose of MDMA has the greatest impact on the acute subjective response,” Dr Matthias Liechti said in a statement Monday. “However, genetics, personality, and mood before MDMA use also moderated the response before MDMA use.”

MindMed’s executive vice president Dr Miri Halperin Wernli said that the company is hoping to move away from the “rigid and inflexible” one-size-fits-all drug-centric approach.

“We are building unique biomarker profiles of individuals across genetics, phenotypes, personality traits, and cognitive states that will allow us to best predict which therapy framework configurations will be most effective,” Halperin Wernli said, adding that the analysis will also include set and setting related variables, therapy, post-therapy integration, and longitudinal follow-ups.

“Our work focuses on applying the concepts of personalized medicine, AI, and cross-disciplinary cutting-edge research to better understand and predict how individual biological phenotypes, genetics, and mental states correlate and interact with responses to the new psychedelic intervention paradigms,” the EVP added.

“We hope this will enable us to build and offer better decision support systems for healthcare professionals and their patients, delivering the best set of evidence and scientifically derived therapy framework options for mental health treatment.”

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Story by ProactiveInvestors