Imperial researchers will explore the potential for psilocybin therapy in drug recovery as part of a landmark trial.

Imperial researchers will explore the potential for psilocybin therapy in drug recovery as part of a landmark trial.

A ‘first in the UK’ clinical trial exploring the use of psychedelics in addiction has won funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Government’s Office for Life Sciences.

The trial, led by Imperial College London, will focus on whether psilocybin – the active compound in magic mushrooms – combined with psychological support, can help to prevent relapse in people who have been addicted to opioids such as heroin.

Combining Imperial’s expertise in psychedelics and opioid addiction, the work will be led by Dr David Erritzoe from the Centre for Psychedelic Research and Dr Louise Paterson within the Addiction Research Team.

The trial will recruit those who have recently undergone detoxification from street opioids such as heroin, or opioid replacements like methadone or buprenorphine. Participants will visit Imperial’s NIHR Clinical Research Facility, which is based at Hammersmith Hospital campus and hosted by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, to receive psilocybin therapy.

“This trial will examine whether we can improve recovery in a severely under-served group of people – namely, those with opioid dependence during their most vulnerable post-detox phase" Dr Louise Paterson Department of Brain Sciences

They will also undergo a brain scan (functional MRI) so the research team can investigate the mechanisms by which psilocybin works in the brain.

Therapist support will form part of the treatment sessions, with participants closely monitored for effects on their mental health and tolerability of the psilocybin. Participants will then be monitored for a period of up to six months after the dosing sessions to track any changes to their opioid use, cravings, mental health outcomes and psychological well-being. This combination of treatment has shown positive effects for alcohol and smoking addiction. Now the team wants to find out if it could be beneficial for opioid addiction.

Dr Louise Paterson said: “This trial will examine whether we can improve recovery in a severely under-served group of people – namely, those with opioid dependence during their most vulnerable post-detox phase. Clinical studies, including those in our Centre for Psychedelic Research, have shown great promise for this type of treatment in other mental health conditions. We want to see if it works equally well for opioid use disorder.”

Opioid addiction is a major public health challenge. In the latest figures from the WHO, it estimates about 600 000 deaths worldwide were attributable to drug use [2019]. Close to 80% of these deaths were related to opioids, with about 25% of those deaths caused by opioid overdose.

In the UK, around 140,000 people are accessing treatment for opioid dependence, but there are currently a very limited number of medicines to help prevent individuals from relapsing during recovery.

Dr David Erritzoe, Clinical Director and Deputy Head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, said: “We know that up to 90% of people relapse back to opioid use within 12 months of finishing detox, so finding new and effective treatments is essential. If this trial is successful, it offers hope for a new type of treatment that could make a significant difference to this group of people.”

“If our initial trial is successful, we will work to enable the development of further clinical trials in larger populations, to bring a new treatment to patients and the NHS.”

The trial has been designed with the help of individuals who have suffered from opioid addiction. The study will be supported by an in-kind donation from Filament Health, a Canadian-based natural psychedelics drug development company. The team is also working with Perceptive, a leading provider of preclinical and clinical trial imaging services to the global biopharmaceutical industry. Recruitment is expected to begin in Spring 2025.

The project is one of four focusing on reducing harm from illegal drugs which have been awarded funding through the NIHR’s Invention for Innovation (i4i) Addiction: Innovation for Treatment and Recovery Awards, announced today. The financial support is part of the Government’s Addiction Healthcare Goals; part of the Department of Health and Social Care’s stated aim to deliver a world-class treatment and recovery system for people experiencing drug and alcohol addictions.

Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes, Chair of the Addiction Healthcare Goals, and who is also a Professor of Addiction Biology at Imperial, said: “New approaches to treat drug addiction and reduce drug related deaths, particularly from overdose, are urgently needed. The Addiction Healthcare Goals programme is pleased to fund promising innovations that have brought together partnerships between industry, academia and organisations involved in delivering treatment and care for those experiencing drug addictions.” 

This research is supported by funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), a translational research partnership between Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.