Privately-held Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals has reported immense success treating depression with its novel psychedelic compound.
On Tuesday, the company dropped data from a Phase 2a study showing that nearly all trial participants suffering from the mental health condition went into remission post-adminstration. Specifically, 70 per cent reported immense alleviation from their major depressive disorder (MDD) within two weeks and 94 per cent went into remission within 30 days.
GM-2505 gets administered via intravenous infusion with effects lasting for about two hours. It was specifically designed to be less time consuming than psilocybin therapy. The compound is an analogue of the classic psychedelic dimethyltryptamine (DMT), meaning that it is structurally similar.
“Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals’ lead candidate GM-2505 is going to be game changing for MDD,” commented biopharma and psychedelic venture fund manager Sa’ad Shah on LinkedIn, “and the industry at large on so many levels.”
Shah’s excitement about the trial results was shared by psychedelics lawyer Kimberly Chew. She said that the compound’s recent success may represent a new chapter for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
“As a former research scientist turned attorney, I find results like this thrilling,” Chew stated on social media. “These breakthroughs bring with them a complex web of regulatory, clinical trial, and compliance challenges that research teams, sponsors, and institutions must now navigate.”
Read more: Texas makes its mark on psychedelics sector with US$50M in ibogaine research funding
Gilgamesh recognized as ‘fierce’ drug development company
In Gilgamesh’s press release, CEO Jonathan Sporn explained that the results were the culmination of five years worth of labour. No serious adverse events were reported during the trial.
“The clinical response and remission rates highlight the potential for GM-2505 to be a groundbreaking therapy for patients with MDD,” Sporn highlighted.
Gilgamesh, founded six years ago in New York, just formally presented its new data on GM-2505 at the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology’s annual meeting in Arizona.
Last year, the therapeutic pioneer made Fierce Biotech’s “Fierce 15” list. This esteemed digital biopharma publication is a go-to resource for drug development news.
“The name for Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is straight out of Hollywood,” said Fierce Biotech writer Kevin Dunleavy, “and a nod to the rapidly moving landscape of psychedelic treatments that have recaptured the pharmaceutical world.”
Describing what made Gilgamesh fierce, he said that the company was an innovator in developing new psychedelic treatments for mental disorders while minimizing the risk of serious side effects.
Gilgamesh is also currently fine-tuning an ibogaine analogue for the treatment of opioid use disorder and PTSD: GM-3009.
Read more: Canadian professors launch book on ‘Psychedelic Capitalism’ in Manitoba this week
Follow Rowan Dunne on LinkedIn
rowan@mugglehead.com
