Psychedelic stocks are gaining attention as new ways to treat mental illnesses like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Companies in the niche use substances like psilocybin to develop treatments that present alternatives to traditional pharmaceutical compounds. Investors are hopeful, but the road to approval is risky and drawn out.
Compass Pathways (CMPS) just faced one of those setbacks when it ran a late‐stage (Phase 3) trial of its synthetic psilocybin drug (COMP360) in 258 adults with treatment-resistant depression. Those receiving the treatment had a 3.6-point greater reduction in symptoms versus those receiving the placebo, which met the trial’s predefined goal of at least a 3-point difference, but came up short of the 5-point gap Wall Street had hoped for. As a result, shares plunged nearly 50% on Monday, June 23.
