First Phase 3 psychedelic trial generates excitement
The promise of psychedelics goes beyond the prospect of offering respite from depression that resists other treatments, according to Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways.
For some patients, these drugs have the potential to go beyond merely relieving symptoms; “Some of these psychedelic drugs can have truly transformational properties for people living with serious mental illness for whom nothing else works,” Nath says.
The company’s lead therapy, synthetic psilocybin COMP360, has received FDA breakthrough therapy designation and is now in Phase 3 trials. Compass believes studies will show that one or two doses can tackle stubborn mental illness in some patients.
“I think that’s potentially transformational, not just for those patients, but for the field as a whole,” he says.
“Some of these psychedelic drugs can have truly transformational properties for people living with serious mental illness.”
Kabir Nath, CEO, Compass Pathways
Delivery and safeguarding strategies
The company’s aim to go beyond drug development to equitable delivery strategies. It has forged a strategic collaboration with HealthPort, a multi-site community health organization, to inform the delivery of COMP360 in underserved communities, after FDA approval is obtained. A regulatory green light would also facilitate distribution via Medicare and Medicaid.
Compass has learned from the growth of interventional therapies, triggered by the success of Johnson & Johnson’s Spravato treatment, which move beyond oral pills to office-based therapist intervention. Compass is investing in its own therapist training – though not to deliver active therapy.
“Psilocybin generates an intense subjective experience at these high doses that we’ve been using, but it’s very inner-directed,” Nath explains. “So the training we’ve done has been to train therapists not to intervene, but actually to be passive, safeguarding patients in the room.”
Collective effort to transform the treatment landscape
Nath, an industry veteran who previously oversaw central nervous system and digital health portfolios at Otsuka, is passionate about targeting unmet need in depression and associated disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
While PTSD is seen as an issue for military veterans, “in fact, in the civilian population it’s much bigger, and the numbers of people suffering from PTSD and not yet getting treatment are huge,” he says.
Data readouts from the current COMP360 studies – the largest randomised control trials to be conducted in psychedelics – will be big milestones for Compass. But Nath also sees the results in the context of the wider push to earn political, regulatory and commercial support for psychedelic treatments.
“I think it’s really important that we all continue to work together to lift all boats,” he says. “We’re in the lead, and we’re happy to be pioneers. But collectively, we have the ability to transform the landscape of the treatment of serious mental illness for so many people.”
“We’re happy to be pioneers – but collectively, we have the ability to transform the landscape of the treatment of serious mental illness for so many people.”
Kabir Nath, CEO, Compass Pathways
