LOVE Pharma’s trial will be exploring psilocybin-assisted therapy for cannabis use disorder (CUD), with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Dr Albert Garcia-Romeu serving as head researcher.
Considered problematic cannabis use, cannabis use disorder can affect up to ten per cent of cannabis smokers according to Yale Medicine. Current treatment focus on psychotherapy approaches such as cognitive behavioural therapy.
The LOVE Pharma study is aiming to evaluate the effectiveness of psilocybin in treating CUD in 12 patients, and will be conducted by Dr Garcia-Romeu and colleagues, building on the company’s major research initiative to identify and target addiction treatment solutions.
Albert Garcia-Romeu, Ph.D. is a member of the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Garcia-Romeu studies the effects of psychedelic drugs in humans, focusing on psilocybin as an aid in the treatment of addiction.
Love Pharma President and CEO, Zach Stadnyk, commented: “LOVE is actively working to identify and assess biotechnology and pharmaceutical solutions to address addiction, with intent to grow its pharmaceutical presence in the underserved addiction treatment market.”
LOVE Pharma has stated that the trial will be sponsored by MicroDoz – a medical research company based in Vancouver, Canada, which LOVE Pharma acquired earlier in 2022. The company says it partners with universities to study the treatment of cannabis use disorder with psilocybin.
“Since acquiring MicroDoz, the LOVE team has worked diligently to design and prepare to launch this comprehensive study relating to the potential of psilocybin-assisted treatment for cannabis use disorder, and we are excited to advance this initiative,” Stadnyk stated.
LOVE Pharma noted that the pilot trial will serve as a foundation to advance the research to larger scale trials and drive future licensing and commercialization opportunities.
