VA touts psilocybin trial for vets, but relief could take time

(The Center Square) – The Department of Veterans Affairs is touting a new psilocybin trial as relief for veterans with treatment-resistant depression, but the study won’t finish until 2031, and any treatment it yields would come later still.

VA announced the trial, called PIVOT, this month, with Secretary Doug Collins saying it would “offer meaningful relief for those who have worn the uniform.” But the study’s federal registration lists a primary completion date of December 2030 and a study completion date of June 2031. Even then, psilocybin generally could not be prescribed to veterans outside research unless the Food and Drug Administration approves it and its Schedule I status is resolved under federal law.

VA has not said what the trial will cost. Its August announcement listed five study sites, two psilocybin doses and a target of 240 veterans, but no price tag. The trial’s federal record lists the VA Office of Research and Development as its sponsor. VA did not respond to questions about...