New Zealand Approves MDMA for Severe PTSD Treatment

New Zealand's pharmaceutical regulatory body, Medsafe, has approved the prescription of pharmaceutical-grade MDMA by two psychiatrists for the treatment of severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This makes New Zealand only the second country globally, after Australia in 2023, to approve the use of MDMA for PTSD therapy. The treatment will be combined with psychotherapy and administered in a controlled clinical setting, with patients not supplied drugs to take home. Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour emphasized the effectiveness of MDMA in psychedelic-assisted therapy for PTSD, a condition that is often difficult to treat.