Dublin-based biotech company GH Research is developing an inhaled version of the psychedelic known as ‘toad venom’ be used for treatment-resistant depression.
On Monday the company announced that it had closed a Series B round to help advance its lead program, an inhalant called GH001, for psychiatric and neurological disorders. GH is beginning with treatment-resistant depression, but has two more indications which are not yet disclosed.
Treatment-resistant depression occurs when little to no success is seen from antidepressants or psychotherapy for patients with major depressive disorder. Though symptoms can be mild, they can also be severe and major depressive disorder can be life threatening.
Colloquially referred to as toad venom, it is commonly referred to as 5-MeO-DMT (5-Methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine is the official name). due to its presence in a certain toad species native to parts of North America. It can be extracted from plants, or produced artificially. The plant version used as an entheogen, a hallucinogenic drug, in some parts of Central and South America.
In the mid-2010s, the drug skyrocketed in popularity among those trying to achieve the ‘ego death’ phenomenon, a situation in which it is believed the part of the brain responsible for one’s sense of self shuts down temporarily. Users on Reddit and YouTube, engaged in an “arms race” to boast about their experiences, according to a VICE report. It is so potent that it is not considered ‘recreational’ as its effects are so strong that it needs to be taken in a safe environment. The drug is treated as a Schedule 1 narcotic in the US, with severe penalties for possession. However, there is strong interest in using it to treat anxiety and depression, with initial research showing effects similar to psilocybin, a mushroom-derived hallucinogen, but with a shorter delay in reaping the benefit.
Recently, investor interest has mounted in psychedelics-focused biotechs, most notably surrounding the Peter Thiel-backed ATAI Life Sciences, a company that uses a unique business model bringing portfolio companies under one umbrella to developing therapeutics for various mental health disorders.
GH is much more narrowly focused on its 5-MeO-DMT work, reporting that GH001 has completed a Phase I study in healthy volunteers. GH001 was shown to be well-tolerated, and it’s now in a Phase I/II trial in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
The biotech company is also working on an injectable formulation of 5-MeO-DMT, which they are calling GH002 and are also keeping quiet about its potential indications.
Source: EndPoints News
