Psychedelics are hot on the Hill

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Aug 18, 2023 View in browser   By Erin Schumaker, Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne and Evan Peng WEEKEND READ Psychedelics have never enjoyed such strong support inside government...until now. Robyn Beck | AFP via Getty Images This is not a trip. Washington is getting hip to the promise of psychedelic medicine. The nation’s top drug regulator and Congress are pushing for more study of psychedelics’ potential to treat mental illnesses. In a feature piece for POLITICO, Erin Schumaker and Katherine Ellen Foley explain why psychedelics have never enjoyed such strong support inside government until now. Consider: — The FDA has approved a version of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. — The agency has also granted two other psychedelics — psilocybin and MDMA — breakthrough therapy status, geared at speeding up their development. — In June, it offered advice for manufacturers testing psychedelic drugs in clinical trials. — The House’s appropriations bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs includes an amendment that calls for the VA to conduct a clinical study on psychedelics. — The House’s version of the annual defense policy bill calls for similar research on troops. — Senate appropriators included language in their report for the Department of Health and Human Services spending bill noting their concern about barriers to research for psychedelics and encouraging the National Institutes of Health to expand its psychedelic research agenda. The backing is diverse. In the House, for example, Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Lou Correa of California, and Republicans led by Reps. Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Jack Bergman of Michigan, have emerged as early champions. Why so? Mental illnesses now afflict more than a quarter of Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and clinical studies for psychedelic treatments have shown promise. “The data look really promising in terms of treating depression, treating PTSD, treating addictions, and also for palliative care settings,” Albert Garcia-Romeu, a psychopharmacology researcher at Johns Hopkins University, said. Even so: Advocates still must overcome the stigma associated with 1960s drug culture and concerns about side effects. Some skeptics, including Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, see irrational exuberance. “Despite the promising early results, it is clear that psychedelics are not wonder drugs, but the hype has gotten ahead of the science,” Volkow and co-authors wrote in a JAMA Psychiatry opinion piece in July.   A NEW PODCAST FROM POLITICO: Our new POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy around the world. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and cybersecurity, POLITICO Tech explores how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, innovations and industries that will matter tomorrow. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Lake George, N.Y. | Erin Schumaker This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Market mover: The surging success of Novo Nordisk, the Danish company that makes the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, has been making waves in Denmark’s economy. One example: The company’s strong sales of Ozempic and Wegovy in the U.S. have led it to have to convert dollars into kroner in unusually large quantities, raising the krone’s value relative to the euro. Since the krone is pegged to the euro, Denmark’s central bank has responded by keeping interest rates low, relative to the European Central Bank. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Evan Peng at epeng@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Megan Messerly talks with POLITICO global health reporter Carmen Paun about her Q&A with John Bell, the former U.K. testing czar, who says that governments should increase disease surveillance, develop routine adult vaccination programs and build clinical trial networks in Africa to better prepare for the next pandemic. Listen to today’s Pulse Check podcast FORWARD THINKING Offering weight-management treatments via apps might “improve access to medication,” a U.K. health care body said in draft guidance, which is open for feedback until Aug. 24. | Patrick Sison/AP Photo Weight-loss drug Wegovy isn’t yet available in the U.K., but in preparation for its arrival, the country’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that people obtain a prescription via an app, POLITICO’s Helen Collis reports. That would benefit people who don’t have access to specialist weight-management services in their area and potentially reduce the demand for in-person visits with weight-management specialists, NICE said. That would help the U.K. National Health Service, which is struggling to cope with record-long waiting lists for care exacerbated by the pandemic. Why it matters: In England alone, about a third of adults are obese and 38 percent are overweight, according to a 2021 health survey. Obesity increases the risk of numerous other diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Offering weight-management treatments via apps might “improve access to medication,” NICE said in its draft guidance, which is open for feedback until Aug. 24.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S TECH & AI SUMMIT: America’s ability to lead and champion emerging innovations in technology like generative AI will shape our industries, manufacturing base and future economy. Do we have the right policies in place to secure that future? How will the U.S. retain its status as the global tech leader? Join POLITICO on Sept. 27 for our Tech & AI Summit to hear what the public and private sectors need to do to sharpen our competitive edge amidst rising global competitors and rapidly evolving disruptive technologies. REGISTER HERE.     TECH MAZE YouTube will remove content promoting harmful or ineffective cancer treatments or discouraging professional medical treatment. | Sean Gallup/Getty Images YouTube’s cracking down on health misinformation — starting with misleading cancer claims. YouTube will remove content promoting harmful or ineffective cancer treatments or discouraging professional medical treatment. For example: YouTube says a video claiming that garlic cures cancer or vitamin C is an appropriate substitute for radiation therapy would be removed from the site. The tech giant will consider three factors when deciding which conditions, treatments and substances fall under its medical misinformation policy: — Is the claim associated with a high public health risk? — Is guidance publicly available on the issue from health authorities around the world? — Is the topic generally prone to misinformation? “Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide,” according to a YouTube blog announcement. “There is stable consensus about safe cancer treatments from local and global health authorities, and it’s a topic that’s prone to misinformation.” What’s next: The company will evaluate medical misinformation in three categories: prevention, treatment and denial that a health condition exists. Videos with advice running counter to that of local health authorities or the World Health Organization will be removed, although YouTube notes that some exceptions will be made for creators’ firsthand experiences. YouTube plans to ramp up the program in coming weeks.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker Evan Peng @thepngfile   Follow us

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