New Zealand has authorized two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to selected adults with PTSD who have not responded to conventional treatments, while keeping the substance classified as an unapproved medicine. The move creates a tightly controlled access pathway that falls short of broad legalization and places the country somewhere between Australia’s existing model and the United States, where the FDA has not approved MDMA-assisted treatment.
Medsafe, New Zealand’s medicines regulator, has authorized two psychiatrists to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA as part of a treatment for adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whose symptoms have not responded to conventional therapies.
It’s important to focus on the fact that this applies to only two psychiatrists—because no, this does not mean New Zealand has broadly legalized or regulated MDMA treatment for PTSD. The Ministry of Health itself clarified that MDMA remains an unapproved medicine and that, for now, the authorization applies only to the two professionals who went through the regulatory process.
Still, it is a milestone worth noting: New Zealand now sits one step behind Australia, which paved the way in 2023 by allowing certain professionals to prescribe MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Even so, both countries maintain strict restrictions on who can administer the treatment, which patients can receive it, and under what conditions.
MDMA in New Zealand: Two Psychiatrists, Selected Patients and a Highly Monitored Treatment
The two authorized professionals are Gary Wynn of Wellington, who specializes in trauma and PTSD, and Tom Paterson of Auckland, who specializes in addiction. According to the Otago Daily Times, both spent more than a year navigating the regulatory process before receiving approval.
This authorization does not mean that anyone diagnosed with PTSD can immediately access MDMA. Patients must be over 18, undergo a comprehensive clinical assessment and be …
Read More
Author: Camila Berriex / High Times
