US Spends $4.9 Million On Ibogaine Trials for Veterans with PTSD

The U.S. government has said it will spend up to $4.9 million on clinical trails of the psychedelic drug ibogaine to investigate its use in treating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Its supporters claim that ibogaine can treat severe PTSD, a mental health condition that causes flashbacks, anxiety and other symptoms some 7 out of every 100 veterans develop in their lifetime. This makes it more common among veterans than civilians.

Proponents say the drug, which is made from a shrub native to West Africa, works by promoting neuroplasticity and eliminating opioid withdrawal symptoms. However, it remains a Schedule I controlled substance in the U.S. due to documented cardiac risks.

It can also cause intense hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, tremors and sometimes deadly irregular heart rhythms.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Thursday that his department would award the amount over a period of five years not to patient research, but to prepare what is needed to manufacture, dose and design studies of the drug.

Kennedy said Beond Inc., a Texas-based company that has treated 3,000 patients with ibogaine in Mexico and where the drug is not illegal, will provide the government with data and treatment advice.

“Veterans kept their promise to this country. We must keep ours,” Kennedy said. “Veterans have told us ibogaine changed their lives. Their experiences demand serious scientific investigation.

“We will pursue the evidence, confront the risks and put affordability at the center of this work.”

Previous Government Funding of Psychedelics

The funding announcement comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in April, calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to facilitate access to psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, psilocybin, ketamine, LSD and MDMA, for eligible patients suffering from major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorders.

This order directed federal agencies to fast-track psychedelic therapy research, allocating roughly $50 million through ARPA-H for state programs.

On Thursday, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) also published a $20 million Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to support the development of a research network to study rapid-acting psychotropic interventional drugs (RAPIDs), such as ketamine, esketamine and psilocybin—the latter more colloquially known as “magic mushrooms.”

The department will announce the award’s recipients in the summer of 2027.

The VA is also investigating the use of psychiatric drugs, including psilocybin, to treat veterans’ mental health.

In May, the VA announced a new clinical trial of methylenedioxymethamphetamine-assisted therapy (MDMA) to evaluate the safety and efficacy when treating current and former military personnel for severe mental health disorders, including PTSD.

That trial will enroll some 80 veterans and will be conducted with the FDA.

Overall, the VA is involved in 20 active clinical trials testing psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions.