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🇬🇷 Greece /Health & Science

New Zealand Approves MDMA Therapy for Severe PTSD After Nova Festival Massacre

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Approved/passed
  • New Zealand’s medicines regulator approved pharmaceutical-grade MDMA for patients with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, making it the second country after Australia to do so.
  • Two psychiatrists received authorization to prescribe the treatment, which must be combined with psychotherapy in a controlled clinical setting and cannot be taken home.
  • The decision comes as U.S. clinical trials continue after the FDA rejected medical MDMA in 2024, citing insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness.

New Zealand has given two psychiatrists permission to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to patients with severe post-traumatic stress disorder, opening a tightly controlled path for psychedelic-assisted therapy.

PTSD destroys lives and is difficult to treat.

· David SeymourNew Zealand’s deputy prime minister described the severity and treatment challenge of PTSD.

The medicines regulator Medsafe approved the treatment on Friday, making New Zealand the second country in the world to authorize MDMA for PTSD after Australia did so in 2023. The decision focuses on patients who have not received meaningful relief from traditional treatments.

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour said, “PTSD destroys lives and is difficult to treat.” He added, “MDMA can be very effective in treating it through psychedelic-assisted therapy.” Seymour has also supported approval of psilocybin mushrooms for people with severe depression.

MDMA can be very effective in treating it through psychedelic-assisted therapy.

· David SeymourSeymour argued that MDMA could provide a new treatment option for PTSD.

The treatment will be delivered alongside psychotherapy. New Zealand’s Ministry of Health said patients would not receive medication for use at home. Instead, the therapy must take place in a controlled clinical environment under the care of an authorized psychiatrist and form part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Patients must be over 18.

Innovative treatments

· David SeymourSeymour said New Zealand was committed to expanding access to new treatment approaches.

The article links the decision to a study in Israel that found MDMA taken by people attending the Nova music festival, where hundreds were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, helped ease the trauma they experienced. In the United States, clinical trials remain under way after the Food and Drug Administration rejected medical legalization of MDMA in 2024, citing insufficient safety and effectiveness evidence. U.S. pharmaceutical options for PTSD remain limited to two antidepressants, with uneven response rates.

The treatment takes place in a controlled clinical environment under the care of an authorized psychiatrist and forms part of a comprehensive treatment plan.

· New Zealand Ministry of HealthThe ministry outlined the restrictions governing MDMA-assisted therapy.
About this summary

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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