WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services signed an agreement to coordinate research and regulatory efforts aimed at accelerating the evaluation of psychedelic therapies for veterans and others with serious mental illness.
The memorandum of understanding implements President Donald Trump’s executive order directing federal agencies to examine whether psychedelic drugs could play a role in treating severe mental health conditions and to speed the review of therapies that prove safe and effective in clinical trials.
Under the agreement, the agencies will work to increase participation in clinical trials, train healthcare professionals involved in the studies, collect and analyze data on safety, effectiveness and costs, and share findings with the Food and Drug Administration to support potential approval decisions.
The agencies also plan to develop educational materials for patients if any psychedelic therapies receive FDA approval.
VA Secretary Doug Collins characterized the agreement as a framework for translating research into clinical care.
“Today’s MOU ensures effective cooperation with HHS as we try to turn research into life-changing treatment,” Collins stated.
The VA currently supports 20 active clinical trials examining psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions through its Office of Research and Development. Those studies are backed by more than $23 million in external funding.
According to the department, all psychedelic research is conducted under federal safety requirements and FDA research guidelines. The VA emphasized that any clinical use of psychedelic therapies within the department would depend on FDA approval.
Psychedelics are substances that alter consciousness and may be produced naturally or synthetically. Researchers are studying whether they can help treat conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other serious psychiatric illnesses, though none have received FDA approval for routine clinical use within the VA.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated that the partnership is intended to move promising therapies from research into patient care more quickly while following the FDA approval process.
The VA also cautioned veterans against using psychedelic substances outside supervised research or replacing established mental health treatments with unprescribed drugs. The department advised veterans to consult their healthcare providers before making treatment decisions and noted that evidence-based mental health treatments remain available through VA facilities.
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