Medsafe has expanded access to the psychedelic drug psilocybin, and the sleep hormone melatonin.
The change means melatonin will be available for purchase at pharmacies with no prescription, and psilocybin can be prescribed by a highly experienced psychiatrist for patients with treatment-resistant depression.
The SMC asked experts to comment.
Professor Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, School of Pharmacy, University of Auckland, comments:
“The approval of the first psychiatrist prescriber for psilocybin better aligns us with Australia who have had a system in place for this kind of prescribing for nearly two years.
“The major issue though is that psilocybin will be prescribed alongside intensive psychotherapy which is expensive. Hence access to this therapy will be limited until complementary funding mechanisms are put in place.”
No conflict of interest.