STAT+: Rick Doblin, ‘unleashed,’ blasts FDA over Lykos drug rejection and turns to global push for MDMA therapy
It’s been a hard week for the psychedelics pioneer Rick Doblin.
First, the Food and Drug Administration declined to approve the MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder developed by Lykos Therapeutics, a company that he founded. The next day, the journal Psychopharmacology retracted three studies on the treatment, in which many authors were associated with Lykos or the nonprofit Doblin founded, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).
On Thursday, Lykos announced it would cut 75% of its staff — and Doblin left the company’s board. Now, MAPS is cutting 33% of its own 42-person staff, it said, in an effort to conserve resources as it hones its focus to drug decriminalization and globalizing access to MDMA.
