PSYCH Symposium 2023
Industry leaders explored the challenges and opportunities facing the psychedelic industry from clinical trial design to fundraising
On Thursday 6th July, Europe’s leading event in psychedelic medicine, PSYCH Symposium 2023, returned to London with huge success for the second year running. This year’s event featured a range of inspiring speakers and panel discussions with the industry’s leading figures, all committed to unlocking the medical and commercial potential of psychedelics.
Stephen Murphy, Founder of PSYCH Symposium, commented: “Once more, PSYCH Symposium has been a resounding success. This is Europe’s leading event in psychedelic medicine, and we brought together key stakeholders to explore how we expedite the adoption of psychedelic medicine. This year, we highlighted some of the challenges facing the industry and looked at how to improve the investment and funding landscape. We sought to outline clear treatment and regulatory pathways for the industry as it seeks to evolve and ultimately deliver potentially life-changing medicines to patients in need. It was fantastic to hear from so many of the industry’s leading experts and we were delighted to be able to bring everyone together again in such a collaborative environment. I would like to thank everyone for their participation.”
This year’s event highlights included fireside discussions with Professor Robin Carhart-Harris, Professor of Neurology & Psychiatry, Director Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape at UCSF, in ‘Shifting perceptions: Assessing the ways in which psychedelic medicine could help to shape society’; and Christian Angermayer, Founder of Apeiron Investment Group, in ‘Reassessing the psychedelic space: What are the realities of the current market?’.
PSYCH Symposium also saw panel discussions on new modalities of treatment, including the potential for psychedelics to treat eating disorders and ketamine-assisted therapy to treat addiction. Medicine regulators from Europe and across the globe also explored the pathways to approval; the importance of building robust regulatory frameworks; and how to prepare national healthcare systems for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.
Cybin hosted a discussion with Business Insider, ‘Challenges in psychedelic drug development’, with Chief Medical Officer, Dr Amir Inamdar, commenting: “We are excited to be at the forefront of innovation in psychedelic medicine, which has the potential to revolutionise treatment of mental health conditions for patients. This year’s PSYCH Symposium explored the challenges we face to make this a reality and we were thrilled to sponsor such a successful event.”
Building on this, Clerkenwell Health explored the end-to-end process of psychedelic clinical trials, with Chief Commercial Officer George McBride saying, “there are many complexities associated with the psychedelic trial process, understanding this will be crucial for company’s ability to succeed.”
Rivki Stern, CEO of Shortwave Pharma reflected on her participation at the conference, “It has been such an illuminating and thought-provoking event, and a great opportunity to connect in person with so many industry-leaders. It is clear that the industry is maturing but there are still challenges to overcome on our way to the 'plateau of productivity'".
Negev Capital Partner, Ken Belotsky said: “The psychedelic sector has witnessed a significant milestone, with an astounding 24% of all recent clinical trials for the treatment of depression being based on psychedelic compounds. This remarkable statistic highlights the potential of psychedelic therapy to revolutionise the mental health care system. Negev Capital continues to prioritise investments in leading companies operating within the psychedelics space.”
A full list of speakers can be found here.
This year’s event was sponsored by Cybin, Shortwave Pharma, Compass Pathways, Negev Capital, Clerkenwell Health, Beautiful Space and FTI Consulting.
