The move makes New Zealand the second country in the world to approve the use of the party drug for use in treating PTSD, after Australia (AP Photo)
Two psychiatrists in New Zealand won approval on Sept. 6 to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade MDMA to sufferers of severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
The move by New Zealand’s pharmaceutical regulatory body Medsafe makes the country only the second worldwide to approve the use of the party drug for use in treating PTSD, following Australia in 2023.
“PTSD ruins lives and is difficult to treat,” said Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour, who last year backed the approval of magic mushrooms to treat people with severe depression.
“MDMA can be very effective at treating it through psychedelic-assisted therapy.”
New Zealand is committed to opening up access to “innovative treatments,” Seymour said.
PTSD is a mental health condition that develops after a person experiences or is threatened by traumatic events such as death, combat or sexual assault.
Clinical trials are ongoing in the United States after the Federal Drug Administration rejected legalizing MDMA’s medicinal use in 2024, saying there was not enough evidence it was safe or effective.
Wellington’s Ministry of Health said MDMA-assisted treatment would be combined with psychotherapy and stressed that patients would not be supplied drugs to take home.
“Treatment takes place in a controlled clinical setting under the care of an authorized psychiatrist and forms part of a comprehensive treatment plan,” the ministry said.
