ATMA CENA Psychedelic Healthcare Solutions, a joint venture between Alberta’s ATMA Journey Centers and Cena Life initiated last fall, has started providing treatments at its new Calgary and Edmonton clinics.
The company also announced this week that its Ontario clinics in Toronto and London would start providing psychedelic-assisted therapies during the second quarter of 2024. ATMA CENA is offering ketamine treatments. It will also be providing MDMA and psilocybin therapy to eligible patients through Health Canada’s Special Access Program (SAP).
The clinics will offer the non-psychedelic treatment of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation as well. It uses magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells, which can help reduce symptoms of depression.
The Calgary and London clinics will be used for clinical trials and training programs too. The joint venture aims to open up to 10 more clinics throughout Canada.
“With continually emerging evidence and the coming of regulations and accreditation standards across the provinces, provider organizations must be prepared to act promptly and comprehensively to meet high level and nuanced healthcare standards in a new and innovative industry,” ATMA CENA chief executive Reverdi Darda said.
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In Canada, psilocybin and MDMA-assisted therapy is only legally available through the SAP, a Section 56 exemption or participation in clinical trials. These rules do not apply to ketamine treatments.
“We invite clients to consider the potential benefits of the SAP program as a pathway to access psilocybin and MDMA therapies in Canada,” Cena says.
Healthcare providers must submit an application to Health Canada on behalf of their patients to potentially qualify for the program.
“Patients themselves must have a serious or life-threatening condition and have explored all available conventional treatment options,” the company added.
Alberta became the first Canadian province to establish a comprehensive framework of regulations for psychedelic therapy in January last year. ATMA Journey Centers then started offering a psychedelics training program for physicians and health professionals in the province.
“Our aim is to ensure that there is access to care in regulated programs based initially on the standards in Alberta and compliant across the country as the regulatory landscape evolves,” Darda said in October when the joint venture was formed.
rowan@mugglehead.com
