Albert Arias, MD, chief of addiction psychiatry at Carilion Clinic, has received an award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to research how psilocybin, a psychedelic compound being studied for several psychiatric and substance use disorders, can offer a new approach for people with cocaine use disorder.
The initial $623,000 award is part of a phased project to evaluate whether psilocybin can help reduce cocaine use when administered in a carefully controlled clinical research setting combined with structured psychotherapy. Subsequent funding to support the larger clinical phase of the research could bring the total award to $3.5 million.
Cocaine use disorder can have devastating consequences for patients, their families and communities, yet we still do not have an FDA-approved medication to treat it. This study gives us an opportunity to rigorously investigate a promising but still experimental approach and determine whether it may ultimately have a role in helping patients reduce or stop cocaine use."
Albert Arias, MD, chief of addiction psychiatry, Carilion Clinic
The research comes amid growing scientific interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds. Previous research has suggested possible benefits of psychedelic-assisted treatment for conditions including alcohol and nicotine use disorders, but clinical research involving stimulant use disorders remains limited.
The first phase of research will examine safety, tolerability, feasibility, dosing, and early signals of efficacy. If successful, the project will move into a larger clinical trial designed to test efficacy and better understand why some patients may respond better than others.
The NIDA award expands Carilion's growing research in addiction psychiatry and reflects the health system's commitment to investigating new approaches for patients affected by substance use disorders.
"Research is especially important when patients and clinicians have limited treatment options," Arias said. "Our goal is not to assume that psilocybin works, but to ask the question carefully, scientifically and safely. If we find evidence of benefit, it could provide the foundation for larger studies and, eventually, new treatment options."
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