What the trial was testing
The MAPP2 enrolled 121 patients with ptsd. The study was sponsored by Resilient Pharmaceuticals and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
MDMA-assisted therapy reduced PTSD symptoms 60% more than therapy alone.
Nature medicine · 2023 · NCT04077437
These findings — that mDMA with therapy reduced symptoms more than therapy alone — were published in the Nature medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 121 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with ptsd, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This large-scale study showed MDMA-assisted therapy helped reduce PTSD symptoms significantly. The FDA has not yet approved this treatment, but the agency has granted it breakthrough therapy designation. Talk to your doctor about whether any clinical trials are open in your area or whether other trauma-focused therapies might help.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open ptsd trials
Trauma BPE Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Injured Individuals Admitted to a Level I Trauma Center
The purpose of this research is to determine if a brief treatment method is effective for preventing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a number of other concerns following injury.
Comparing Telehealth to In-person a Combined Metacognitive Training in Veterans With mTBI/PTSD
Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly experience cognitive impairments including attention and executive function deficits that interfere with their ability to engage in productive personal and social activities. Of the limited interventions available to address cognition, none rigorously train attention beyond strategy management. This study will evaluate an innovatively combined strategy training known as Goal Management Training plus computerized attention training in Veterans with mTBI/PTSD. Preliminary testing suggests an effectiveness in improving problem solving, attention and functional tasks in a small number of Veterans. Considering these promising results, cost effectiveness, and the demand for access to care from Veterans living in rural areas, a Randomized Controlled Trial will determine and compare the effects of this treatment, administered either in-person or via telehealth, on executive function, attention, other aspects of cognition and real life functional tasks.