Risk & Insurance, a news publication that covers risk management and commercial insurance, featured an article addressing clinical trials for methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as the street drug ecstasy, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when combined with psychotherapy.
The article explores the FDA’s granting MDMA Breakthrough Therapy status, positive results from recent Phase 2 clinical trials, and how Phase 3 clinical trials will begin this Summer.
Healthesystems’ Chief Medical Officer, Robert Goldberg, MD, FACOEM, was one of the medical experts that Risk & Insurance reached out to on the subject, and Dr. Goldberg found the research to show a high degree of efficacy, but warned that as the research studies so far have been small, it is too early to get excited as larger trials could produce different results.
Business Insurance, a news publication covering risk management, workers’ comp and commercial insurance developments, featured an article that addressed medical marijuana’s growing traction as a pain management alternative to opioids.
The article explores growing public support for medical marijuana, exploring the limited clinical evidence on marijuana’s clinical effectiveness as a pain management drug, which has been due to federal limitations on marijuana research.
Healthesystems’ VP of Clinical Services, Silvia Sacalis, PharmD, BS was among the many experts Business Insurance spoke to on the matter, recommending an open-minded and cautiously optimistic approach to medical marijuana, citing marijuana’s demonstrated potential benefits for pain management and reducing opioid use. However, Dr. Sacalis also noted concerns such as workplace safety.
