A pharmaceutical company called Definium has shared exciting news: its experimental pill, DT120, successfully reduced anxiety in a large clinical trial. The result surprised even Wall Street investors, who had high expectations for the drug.
DT120 is a fast-dissolving tablet that contains lysergide — the chemical name for LSD. The trial enrolled 214 adults who all had a condition called generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD. On average, these patients had been living with anxiety symptoms for 24 years. Each patient received a single 100-microgram dose of the pill during one monitored session.
The results were impressive. Patients who took DT120 showed an 11.6-point drop on a standard anxiety rating scale after 12 weeks. In comparison, patients who took a placebo — an inactive pill — only showed a 6.2-point drop. Financial analysts described the difference as "one of the strongest" benefits ever seen in GAD treatment.
One particularly exciting finding was the speed of the effect. Patients began to feel better just two days after taking the pill. The improvement then continued for the entire 12-week study period. Most side effects were mild to moderate, and there was no increase in suicidal thoughts among participants.
GAD is a very common condition. It causes persistent and excessive worry that can seriously interfere with daily life. Around 26 million adults in the United States live with it. Doctors currently treat GAD with antidepressants, anti-anxiety medicines, and psychotherapy. However, no new drug has been approved for GAD in nearly two decades, making this trial especially significant.
DT120 works differently from most anxiety medicines. While standard treatments require patients to take pills regularly — sometimes every day — DT120 is designed as a single-dose treatment given during a supervised session. This makes it stand out from everything currently available.
DT120 belongs to a wider group of compounds called psychedelic medicines. Growing excitement around this field has helped Definium's share price more than triple this year. This trial is also Definium's second late-stage success with DT120, following earlier positive results in a depression study. Results from a second GAD trial are expected in September.