The available medical research doesn’t support the use of MDMA as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, an FDA advisory panel determined, temporarily stifling efforts to get the drug authorized as a medical treatment, NPR reports.
A growing amount of evidence–both anecdotal and clinical–suggests the use of psychedelics like MDMA, also known as ecstasy and molly with the festival kids, help patients suffering from disorders like PTSD, depression, anxiety and addiction. However, by a 10-to-1 vote, the panel determined that the benefits to taking MDMA do not outweigh the risks.
In testimony, FDA researchers noted gaps in the data, while panel members raised questions about potential undeclared bias from some of the researchers. Advocates for PTSD patients had hoped that the FDA would approve MDMA as the first new treatment for the disorder in more than two decades.