A significant number of people with depression are not helped by at least two antidepressant medications. This is known as treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The COMP006 study is a large international study, part of Compass Pathways’ phase 3 programme, aiming to examine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of investigational COMP360 psilocybin treatment at different doses for individuals who have TRD.

Psilocybin is a psychedelic that works on the serotonin system in the brain, which is linked to important processes including regulation of mood, sleep and thinking processes. COMP360 is a synthetically produced formulation of psilocybin. It is administered with psychological support from specially trained therapists during the trial.

Principal Investigator, Dr Katharine Smith, and her team at OH CRF have begun accepting people with treatment-resistant depression who fulfil certain eligibility criteria to join the research study, which includes a 52 week follow-up period.

Dr Katharine Smith said:

‘We are excited to have opened the COMP006 study at the OH-CRF. Treatment-resistant depression has a significant impact on people’s lives and this research offers a potentially different and novel approach. The study will help to show whether the new investigational treatment is effective and, if so, how long that effect might last.’

If you live within a 50-mile radius of Oxford and would like to know more about the COMP006 study, please email: mentalhealthresearch@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk